Path of a Summoner
by slingbees
Summary: Wren is a sphere recorder whose dream is to retrace the steps of former summoners and share whatever she might find with the world. What she uncovers is a little more than she or her new friends ever bargained for. Original story featuring my own characters, set in the FFX universe (which I'm borrowing for a bit), six years after the original game.
1. Luca, Brief Introductions

Wren stood beside her new traveling partner in the Luca marketplace, a wary look around the stalls. It wasn't the much taller, shrouded companion that made her nervous, but the last minute preparations for the trip ahead of them. Making a mental checklist of what she might have forgotten at home, and what she needed to buy before the ferry arrived… Once they set sail, she would have an easier time calming down, but for now, she was spending a good deal of time mumbling to herself while she thought.

She looked up at the other, who had only told her that their name was Twill, and that they were interested in traveling. Their face was hidden by a scarf up to their eyes, which was the same color and material as the two-toned cloak that covered their head and shoulders, and hid their arms completely down to their hands. They were a mage, she knew that much, but they had a spear strapped to their back. Wren didn't ask many questions about their appearance and belongings, thinking it would be rude to pry into their business. They wouldn't hide their face if they didn't have a reason, and she was satisfied with that.

Despite the oddity of a mage carrying a spear, and concerns about a person she'd never met and knew little about after interviewing them, she trusted her gut feeling that this person was not dangerous and had no malicious intent towards her. After all, she had hired this person as her bodyguard. After putting out an ad in the local news, they were the only applicant who had turned up to escort Wren and her sphere recording equipment across Spira to film. They had to be enough.

Twill looked towards the foods at the brightly clothed stall before them. "Nothing that will go bad quickly. Any meat or fish will have to be smoked before we leave. We can eat gysahl greens in a pinch, so be sure to keep some handy."

"Gysahl greens? For chocobos?" she asked, glancing up at them.

Shrugging, Twill nodded. "They might be used for chocobo feed, but they're perfectly edible. With the Mi'ihen Highroad nearby, it should be easy to find them for sale."

"Plus, I don't have a lot of money left, so we probably can't afford meat," said Wren, looking at the ground. "But if we buy some vegetables I can cook those up. I'll give the greens a chance. But… we can do some hunting on the go, can't we?"

"I'll let you be in charge of skinning anything you catch," said Twill, snorting.

"Oh, I forgot about cooking supplies," whispered Wren, only half hearing the other. "I brought a pot from home, but I don't think any of my little kitchen knives will be enough to stand up against a beast."

"I have one we can use for skinning, but both of us will primarily be using magic to defend ourselves, so don't worry about using it to kill. I was only teasing," said Twill. "You have a fanciful idea of what traveling is like. Don't worry so much, we'll be alright."

As the sun was beginning to rise higher into the sky, the boat to Kilika pulled into port, and it was nearing noon. The crowd coming from the islands was thinning out as they dispersed from the boat, and people were starting to board once more. There were fewer people coming to Luca in the blitzball off season, but it was still a sizable crowd, for one of the largest cities in Spira.

Wren wasn't a stranger to the bustling city, nor unfamiliar people crowding around her as they herded away from the same direction, but Twill seemed to balk as they followed behind her to the docks. They were polite as other people brushed past them, but their posture was obviously stiff, cautious about contact with others.

Wren didn't seem to notice as she walked ahead, but Twill heard a voice calling out over the crowd as they got closer to the ship's gangplank. As Wren turned around to look, Twill pulled her aside sharply by the arm to avoid her being trampled by the number of people swarming through the streets.

The voice belonged to a very large man, not taller than Twill, but built like a tank, wide and sturdy. His hair was in long dreads, tied up, waving behind him wildly as he ran towards them, and partly covered by a bandana, the tails of which were draped over his shoulder. He was barely breaking a sweat as he stopped short of them, but he'd lost his balance as he tried to stop short, almost stumbling.

"You—" he said, pointing at Wren. "You're the girl who's looking for a bodyguard, right?"

His words were slightly accented, and unconsciously peering into the man's eyes, Wren could make out the vibrant green, and the deep swirl that ran through his eyes to the pupils, a trademark of the nomadic and technologically inclined Al Bhed.

Only a few days earlier, Wren had put in a request on the local news saying that she was in need of someone to escort her on a long journey across Spira. It had been intimidating, waiting for strangers in a big city to approach her about the offer, and trying to decide if they had good intentions, but in the end not many people showed up. Twill was the only one who was willing to drop everything to travel with a stranger, but that was partly because they had introduced theirself to her as a wanderer theirself.

"That's me! We're just about to board to leave for Kilika, but if you're interested, I could always use another hand!"

"Sure thing," he said, nodding proudly. "I'm Merris. I mostly do mechanic work, but I know how to take care of fiends."

Wren nodded slowly, sticking her hand out to him. "I've got a bit of magical skill, but Twill here is the real mage."

He seemed to be in a hurry to leave, even despite showing up at the last possible second. She couldn't imagine why he'd want to come along on such short notice, but they could work out the fine details on the ferry. If he decided he wasn't interested after all, or if he turned out not to be a good fit… The trip between Luca and Kilika took about a day to complete. Wren had to assume he knew what he was doing if he'd followed her here already.

"Wren, we might be late," warned Twill, pointing with their hand beneath their cloak at the boat. "We have to hurry."

"Come with us! We can talk more on the ferry," said Wren, turning away from the Al Bhed man.

Merris took a moment to react, but hurried after them as soon as he realized they were boarding the ferry.

There was a long journey ahead of her, but Wren was ecstatic to be leaving, and a little relieved. Finally, she could stop worrying about getting out into the world and get to it, already. She held the bag containing her sphere recorder close to her chest as the ship's horn sounded, indicating that the ferry would start moving soon, and watched from the deck as it did so. The water broke around the ship, and she waved at the small crowd that was seeing the travelers off, grinning brightly.

With this first step, they were finally on their way to Kilika.


	2. Getting Along

Twill was surprisingly uninterested in coming above deck to see the water as the ship powered across the sea. The little ferry was still run on chocobo power, a rarity for larger ships now, but passage between the islands wasn't a long journey, and the ferries still used chocobos to run the ships. Wren was excited to be aboard, and loved travel, but she took to the lower deck to see her companion, leaving Merris to his own devices.

They were alone in the common area for the passengers and their luggage, so Wren sat across from them on the floor, crossing her legs.

"Seasick?" she asked quietly.

"A little," they replied. "I don't travel by boat often, but I can manage it. I simply don't like crowds."

"I get it. I saw how you were in Luca," said Wren.

Twill nodded, but said nothing for a few moments, looking idly at the floor. Their eyes were unfocused, but they finally looked back to Wren. "There is something you must know about me if we are to make this journey. Besaid is just the first step, am I correct? Traveling across all of Spira is not a short time together."

Wren tilted her head, watching as Twill freed their hands from the cloak they wore. "Oh, you don't have to..."

Twill shook their head. "No, these theatrics of mine aren't as important as it is that we are all completely open with each other. We must trust each other."

Wren nodded, watching with curiosity as Twill's appropriately large, almost clawed hands lowered the hood of their cloak, and then pulled the scarves away from their face. She noticed the markings on their skin, a dusty pink color the same as their hair, which was gnarled and curled like the roots of a tree, and stood in four segments on their head.

"You're a Guado," she said plainly, nodding. "I think I understand. I'm not that surprised, actually. I noticed how tall you are, of course... Is that bad?"

Twill fiddled with their hair for a moment, smoothing the almost posable wefts into place. "No, don't worry. I know my concealed identity makes people uncomfortable at times. To me, the only thing that matters is that I not be associated any longer with my homeland. They may make whatever accusations they like beyond that point."

"Oh," said Wren, frowning. "Did, um... something happen? I mean, I know about Guadosalam and the Guado moving back in after exiling themselves, but... can I ask why you do this?"

Twill shrugged just a little. "I was once a guardian of the Farplane, or... royal guard, whatever you might call it. We alternated shifts, and served the same purpose. I became fed up and frightened after Seymour Guado came into power. We knew what had happened to Lord Jyscal before him, about his murder. I left, knowing I couldn't serve him, and I've never been back."

"Oh."

"I don't feel responsible for his actions, and I don't want to be held accountable for them," they continued. "He isn't with us anymore, but it still hangs over us. I've hidden my face since the Eternal Calm began and what we did became public information."

"I'm sorry," said Wren, folding her hands together. "I don't know what to say."

"No, don't worry yourself about it. I just needed you to know. I appreciate you lending me an ear," they said.

"It's no problem," said Wren, shaking her head. "I appreciate you telling me all of this. I feel like I understand you a bit better."

Twill slowly began to reapply their scarves, then pulled the good back over their head. "I know I shouldn't be prying either, but do you have anything of a similar nature to open up about? Anything integral to yourself or this journey?"

Wren felt a little surprised that it had been turned on her, but she should have expected as much after being told that they shouldn't keep secrets from each other. She had to think for a couple of moments. "I... don't think so. There's not that much to know about me. You know what I do for a living, and why we're out here... There's not much more to me that's important right now."

"No family secrets?" asked Twill, this time teasing just a little.

"Hmm, no," answered Wren. "Oh, but... now that you mention it, I guess I could say that I've been living on my own for... six or seven years now? My dad died a long time ago, so I don't really remember him, but I used to travel a bit with my mom, who... Used to work in Bevelle. She died a few years ago."

Twill nodded understandingly. "...Sin?" they asked.

"Yeah," said Wren, folding her arms. She leaned her head to the side, frowning a little bit. "It's not a big deal anymore, but I still think about her. I know I shouldn't be upset, back then we all had to consider that Sin might come at any moment, but... I don't know. I don't feel like I've really let her go, even though I've accepted her death."

"You could always visit the Farplane, on our way," said Twill, actually twiddling their thumbs. "...We will be passing through Guadosalam, won't we?"

"We will. It's the only way to get to Macalania. The temple might have sunken, but I can still ask around... see the lake, I guess," she said. "But... yeah, I've never been to the Farplane before. Visitors are allowed again, right? They've gotten it back under control?"

Twill shrugged. "So I've heard, anyway."

"I have to go there anyway," said Wren, smiling a little. "I might have an expert on the Farplane right here, but I want a firsthand account of what it's like."

She got to her feet again slowly, stretching. "I think you're right. There shouldn't be any secrets between us. I won't force anyone to talk, but I can open myself up to the two of you."

Twill got to their feet as well, but leaned against the wall comfortably, looking towards Wren. "I may go above deck, if you intend to return. But I wanted to say something else first."

"What is it?"

"You lack a conduit with which to perform magic," they said. "If you plan to use magic to defend yourself without one, your magic will be weaker and more difficult to control. Guado are more in tune with the spiritual aspect of the world, and skilled mages may not need a conduit, but even I use my spear at times to channel it."

"Oh," said Wren. She had clearly not expected that answer.

"I will purchase something for you in Kilika, if you come with me to the market," they added. "Think of it as a gift, or a handout, but one way or another you must be able to protect yourself."

"No, I understand. Thanks for the advice," she said, turning to the door. "I haven't had real training, so I had no idea that's why my spells were basically not suited for anything besides lighting a campfire."

Twill stepped forward, fully hidden once again, and looked up the stairs to the deck. Their steps were uncertain, but they were standing. "Again, don't worry yourself. I know you'll have plenty of time to put it to good use."

"Thank you," said Wren, dipping her head appreciatively.

Twill seemed ready to best the stairs at their own leisure, so Wren went above deck once more to find the Al Bhed man who had joined them at the port.

He was nowhere to be seen on the main deck, but... once she looked up at the topmost area of the ship's decks, above the cabins and the wheel room, she spotted him sitting against the wall, looking up at the sky.

When he turned his head to look at her, she got a better look at his face now that they weren't being herded through a crowd. His face was a bit babyish, she noticed, with large eyes and round cheeks, and he might look a bit younger if not for his beard, which made it fairly obvious that he wasn't a child. The pale blue bell that he wore for an earring tinkled softly, though it was muffled by the tails of his bandana, which were now draped over his shoulder.

"You're Merris, right? I'm Wren," she said, sitting beside him on the deck.

"Yeah, I know, I saw the announcement you put out on the news," said Merris, nodding. "We didn't really get to talk much before boarding."

"Sorry about that. Are you already prepared for a journey like this?" she asked.

"Pretty much," he said. "I've got the basics, anyway. I was planning on stocking up on anything I'm missing in Kilika after we land, if you've got the time."

"We have to stop by the marketplace anyway," she offered. "If you need supplies you can get it then."

She looked up at the sky as he had done, smiling softly. "So... do you have any questions for me? You joined up in a hurry, you know."

He started to shake his head, but paused, thinking. "Yeah, I guess I had better ask what this trip is all about. I decided to join for my own reasons, but I probably should know what I'm getting into."

"Probably a good idea," agreed Wren, laughing. "Alright, well... I'm a sphere recorder at Luca stadium. I'm one of the people that helps film the games and other events that happen there, but I've always had an interest in the former summoners and their lives."

"I want to make a movie sphere about the history of the summoners, and their pilgrimage across Spira," she said. "So I'm retracing their steps, making stops at temples to speak to priests and former summoners... Research, mostly."

"So we're headed for the temple in Kilika first?" he asked.

"Right. I'm not going in a specific order on purpose, but the end goal is Zanarkand, of course, and to start..." she trailed off for a moment, smiling softly. "I wanna meet Lady Yuna. I mean, I'm going to interview her, of course, but she really is a hero of mine. I've always admired the dedication of the summoners, to the people of Spira and to Yevon, even though the corruption of Yevon was made public after Lady Yuna brought the Eternal Calm."

"Oh?" he asked, this time looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

"I think it's very brave, that's all... The sacrifice they endured and those who gave their lives," she said. "It's so selfless. Now Lady Yuna brought us a Calm that will stay forever."

Merris seemed slightly put off by her praise of the summoners, grimacing for a moment. "I'm not that critical of the core beliefs of the Yevonites, but everyone says this, 'Eternal Calm.' How do you know? What makes this Calm eternal? It's been years since Sin was defeated, and it hasn't returned, longer than ever before, right? But how do we know it won't come back?"

Wren shrugged just a little, frowning. "You know... I don't know. I've wondered that too. But that's part of what this is about: learning all that I can about Spira's past, and sharing it with everyone else. I'm going to show my sphere at the Luca theatre when it's finally finished."

Merris nodded a bit, but didn't seem to have anymore questions of that nature.

Wren frowned. "Just to be clear, I'm not with Yevon anymore. I used to be, you know, when everyone was, but I kinda fell out of it, and when word came out about corrupt officials... Maester Seymour's crimes, and Mika's willingness to overlook it, and so on... I gave up. I didn't join any of those groups opposing New Yevon, or anything, I just kind of felt... hurt."

"Yevon has always had its problems," he said, trying to be reassuring. "They changed their story to suit whatever politics they believed... Accusing the Al Bhed of heresy. How can we be heretics if we never believed in the first place? All Yevon did was condemn us. It's wrong, but Yevon had its followers fooled for years."

"Because of the Machina War," said Wren, nodding. "Sin came, and ended the war before everyone destroyed each other, but... It's hard to believe that anyone could hold a grudge for that long. And hard to believe an entire group of people would be condemned just for not following the teachings."

"Not that hard," he said, shaking his head. "Yevon's word is still pretty powerful even today, even now that it's so divided."

"You're right," said Wren. "I'm sorry."

She sighed, and wrapped her arms around her knees, still watching him. She didn't know what else to say about it. She should have known Yevon would be a touchy subject, but even so Merris didn't seem that bothered. Maybe he was used to it. She didn't think that forgave the church, by any means.

Wren tilted her head at him. "Can I ask you about something else? Why did you decide to come along without knowing what we were doing?"

"Oh, that," he said, snorting. "I'm looking for someone. As long as we're traveling across Spira, I thought I might try to catch up with them."

"I expect most of our time will be spent traveling or doing research, but if you need time, maybe we'll find what you're looking for," she said, trying to be helpful. "Will you stay after you find them?"

"Well... truth be told, I don't know. I plan to, I agreed to this on my own, after all," he said. "Let me put it this way, I'm more likely to stay than not. I mean, I know the person I'm looking for isn't in any danger, but when I find them, I might be given a reason to stay with them. If that happens, then I won't be able to travel with you anymore."

Wren nodded understandingly. "If you think you have to. Twill and I can take care of ourselves, I think. We'll help you until then."

"Thanks," he said, smiling a little. He flicked the little bell with his finger, the glass tinkling gently once more. "I don't like to go back on my word. So you can be sure that if I decide to leave, I'll have a reason. And if I do, I'll let you know. I'll do all I can for you until I know."

"I appreciate it," said Wren.

She felt like she understood him a little better.

"Do you mind if I stay here for a little bit?" she asked. "I want to rest up a bit before we get to Kilika Port, but I don't want to sit by myself."

Merris nodded a little. "You're fine. You can doze off for a bit if you want to. Kilika is a day's journey away, but you might as well get some shuteye while you can. If anyone tries to bug you I'll be right here."

"Thanks," she said, smiling softly.

He nodded his head, then went back to taking in the environment as he had been doing when she showed up. Wren tried it too.

The sun was beating down overhead, but the wind kept them cool. She could smell the strong scent of the ocean, though she couldn't see the waves from where she was sitting on the floor. She could almost feel them, she imagined, the way the ship rocked so gently over the waves as it cut through them. Leaning her head against her shoulder for a few moments, she closed her eyes. Whether or not she drifted off, she was going to relax while she had nothing better to do, and she was already beginning to feel sleepy.

It was unlike her to take a midday nap, but she felt satisfied with herself and her companions, feeling safe next to Merris while she slept.


	3. Kilika, Dona

Between Kilika and Luca, the trip took a day to complete. The trip to Besaid was shorter, only a few hours, but before they departed again, Wren had business to take care of in Kilika, and wanted some downtime from being on the ferry for a whole day, to stretch her legs.

She took her sphere recorder with her, the other two of them pushing through the fiends prowling the old path to the temple. Though she felt she should have been helping, she had been too excited to stop in the market, and still had no conduit to direct her magic. She would admit to taking some recordings of their movements.

Twill was almost immovable, casting spell after spell without their own conduit, though they carried their spear on their back. Wren guessed that they probably wouldn't like to be filmed if she asked them to show her some moves with their spear, knowing they were capable of wielding it as well as magic, but it was amazing to watch nonetheless. Wren's magic wasn't nearly as powerful, and Twill did all that they did with minimal movement, not allowing the fiends to come near them as they cast. Perhaps they knew Wren was filming, and were trying to keep their identity hidden, or maybe they were really that good.

Merris was almost the exact opposite of Twill. He fought with his fists, and could easily take on a single opponent, darting back and forth despite his size, able to dodge attacks from the formidable ochu plant. He seemed to know just where to hit it in order to stun it, preventing it from attacking, and Wren suspected he knew some kind of magic of his own. His style was impressive, a powerhouse that only needed his own body to survive a scrap with a fiend.

Both of her traveling companions were pretty amazing.

They arrived at the temple. Wren paid her respects to the high summoners, bowing lowly in prayer in respect of their tradition, then disappeared into one of the wings of the outer temple to speak to the clergy inside.

Of the temples in Spira, Kilika was one of the more kept ones. The people of the port town were still divided on the teachings of Yevon, but it did have a dedicated set of followers, and those who never abandoned their work at the temple. As many temples took in those in need, the sick, injured, and orphaned, even becoming a shelter in times of need, the upkeep of a temple in such a small place was important, regardless of belief.

The woman Wren spoke with gave her information about the temples and their upkeep, and the many summoners who had passed through Kilika Temple's arches, even during her lifetime. She also told her of a former summoner living in Kilika. Wren thanked her for the information, and for allowing her to film, then returned to the others, who waited outside.

Apparently, Merris had some questions for Twill.

"It is because I am a Guado," Twill answered politely, keeping their voice low.

"Oh?" asked Merris, blinking at them. "Oh yeah, that makes sense. Sorry, man, I was just wondering. I just like to know who I'm traveling with."

"It's just the way I choose to dress," said Twill, shaking their head. "I understand being cautious. I'd normally ask someone to mind their own business, but as I've already told Wren, I believe that we should trust each other as long as we are together. That's why I chose to answer your prodding truthfully."

"That's all fine by me," said Merris, nodding. "I guess all that really matters is that we all watch each other's backs."

Wren tilted her head, approaching them. If there was a conflict, they'd worked it out. They were just getting to know each other, taking turns testing the waters.

"I think I'm finished here," she said, nodding.

"You're not going inside?" asked Merris.

"In the cloister?" she asked, her eyebrows going up. "No, no, it's kind of against the rules, plus the inner trials of the temples can be dangerous these days. I think they hire specific people to clean them out every now and then, but I heard the temples have been having troubles with fiends for a few years now. Minor stuff, mostly, but no one really goes in, since the Fayth disappeared when Lady Yuna defeated Sin."

Merris nodded a little. "Oh yeah, I'd heard that. Djose Temple was having troubles too. I think they got it under control, but now that you mention it, I guess it wasn't just them."

"It's gotten much better since the fiends first appeared," said Twill. "There used to be very strong ones pouring from inside the temples, but they've calmed down, it seems. Mostly all you see now are the little ones."

Wren gestured towards them for them to follow as she departed the temple. She smiled a little to herself as she prepared her equipment.

"Before we set off again, there's someone I want to try to meet," she said. "The priest said that there was a former summoner living in town. If she's in a mind to speak, I want to try to get some footage from her."

Wren stood before the hut with its hanging cloth drawn aside. Merris had followed her with nothing better to do, but Twill excused themself, leaving just the two of them.

"Lady Dona?" asked Wren softly, though she didn't peer into the hut for fear of being rude.

There was a shuffling noise from inside, but no one came to the door. This time, Wren did look. The room was empty, it seemed.

"Who are you?" asked a voice from above them.

Wren looked up, stepping back to look at the second floor, where a woman stood on the deck, looking down at them with a hand on her hip. She didn't appear to be annoyed, per se, but she did look confused, maybe frustrated.

"Are you Lady Dona?"

The woman wrinkled her nose. "Just Dona. If you know who I am, you must know I'm no longer a summoner."

"Of course! I'm sorry," said Wren.

"Nevermind that. What have you come here for?" asked Dona. "Wait there."

Dona disappeared back into the hut, then the sound of someone descending the stairs was heard, before she reappeared in front of Wren, studying the two before her critically.

"My name is Wren, I'm making a movie sphere about the summoners and their pilgrimage, and I was wondering if I could ask a few questions?" she asked.

Dona frowned slightly, looking at her for a moment. "I... suppose so."

"Both of you come in," she said, stepping aside.

It was nice to be in the shade again, Wren thought.

"What about you?" asked Dona, pointing at Merris.

Merris blinked, surprised when it suddenly turned on him. "Oh, I'm, uh. Just hired hands."

"We're traveling together," said Wren, laughing quietly. "I can't fight for myself very well, so I asked around for people willing to escort me while I do my research."

Dona gave a small hum, then offered both of them a seat, taking her own seat on the bed.

"Alright... so what do you want to know?"

Wren sat down and pulled out a pencil and paper instead from her bag, thinking. "Well... why did you become a summoner?"

"Starting from the beginning, huh? Hmmmm..." Dona made a face like she expected that, then began to think about it, pursing her lips tightly.

"I grew up with the temple, first of all. I didn't have much choice on that front, naturally. But apart from that, it's hard to put into words. I can't say that wanting to receive praise for my work wasn't a small part of it, but I guess I felt a sense of duty," she said. "I used to tend the temple here, when I was little. I saw summoners come and go, and I guess I was inspired by them. I wanted to be the one to defeat Sin, after Lord Braska's Calm. It was what I knew, and I was willing to work for it."

Wren hummed, almost in agreement.

"And... how did your journey end, if you don't mind?" asked Wren.

Dona sighed quietly. "In the end, I pulled out of the race before it was even over. One of Lady Yuna's guardians, a boy, spoke to me after... Well, first, I should mention, for a time, summoners were disappearing from the roads mysteriously. It's not uncommon for summoners to die on their pilgrimage, but not in such numbers. It was a handful of us who had been kidnapped by the Al Bhed in an effort to protect us."

Merris snorted at that, nodding. "Yeah, I remember that. I wasn't at Home when it was destroyed, but I knew about a group from Home scouting out summoners and their guardians, taking them off the roads."

Dona glanced at him briefly before continuing. "Right, and then the Guado attacked the Al Bhed Home. Most of the survivors escaped on their airship, but it was hard on all of us. After talking to that boy, I decided not to continue my pilgrimage. My confidence shouldn't have been shaken so easily, but after being shown up, kidnapped, and then nearly killed, I didn't know how much more I could take. I counted my blessings, and decided to leave it to the others. It just... wasn't for me, anymore. After all that time training, right?"

"There's nothing wrong with that," said Wren, smiling softly. "You're alive... You just made the best choice for yourself."

"Well, for myself, but also for my guardian," said Dona. "I had to think for both of us. I wonder what might have happened if I hadn't quit, sometimes, but a summoner's life is dangerous. It might easily have ended in tragedy."

"What are your thoughts on Yevon now that you are no longer a summoner?" she asked.

Dona made a face as she thought on that one for a few moments. "I'm... cautious. I'm disappointed that many of the things I once trusted turned out to be false, and I can't trust the practice any longer."

She frowned, then continued. "However, my guardian, Barthello, is still a follower of Yevon, and I've had to make peace with that. But I'm willing to be supportive, within reason. I owe that to him."

"That's amazing," murmured Wren, smiling at her. "Sorry, it's not really my business, I know, but it's really great that you're so close. The bond between a summoner and their guardian is really amazing."

Dona seemed embarrassed, and waved her hand to try to brush her comments aside, snorting. "It's not that special. It's the least anyone could do for another person."

"That's fine," said Wren. "I really appreciate your answers."

The questioning went on for several more minutes, and Dona cooperated easily. She was occasionally sensitive on certain subjects, but she was polite to the young recorder, and answered as honestly as she could. Wren could tell she had a certain amount of pride, and that she was fiercely competitive, but Dona was very relaxed as she spoke to her. It surprised her that she had viewed High Summoner Yuna with such a harsh rivalry.

A large man entered the hut, carrying a proportionately large fish in his arms, wrapped in a cloth, but the smell gave it away instantly. He looked at the two strangers sitting in his home, then looked to Dona, blinking in surprise.

Dona explained the gist of it quickly, introducing the man as her former guardian, Barthello. Evidently, he was now a fisherman by trade. The work day had been slow, but now it was time for dinner, and he had brought a lucky catch of considerable size with him.

Wren and Merris were invited to stay for dinner, and politely accepted, informing them as well that they'd like to take something home to Twill as well. The fish was huge and fatty, so there was plenty for everyone after cooking, and the couple offered the remaining fish to the two travelers, and sent them off to the travel agency with their leftovers.

Dona stopped Wren before she left. "I doubt you came to Kilika just to see me, correct? You're going to see the high summoner in Besaid, aren't you?"

It was Wren's turn to be embarrassed. "A priest from the temple advised me to come here. It was a happy accident, but I want to include accounts of as many summoners as I come across. Lady Yuna is... kind of like my hero, I guess. I'm sorry if I've insulted you."

"No, I'm not bothered by that," she said, shaking her head. "Everyone in Spira owes her their gratitude at least, I really don't care. I'm just someone who got outshined by her work, I don't expect recognition for my failed pilgrimage."

She frowned a little, but continued. "Just be sure you're prepared to deal with her guardians. Two of them live in the same village, and it is the Blitzball off season..."

Wren's eyes widened for a second. "Oh! So Sir Tidus will be there? I completely forgot to make the connection between the season ending and him visiting home..."

"You don't sound that surprised, though. Have you met him before?" she asked.

"Once or twice," admitted Wren. "I shoot most of the games, so I meet a lot of the players, if only in passing... He's kind of intimidating. I'm a little nervous about seeing him outside of bumping into him on the job..."

"You won't have to worry about him, it's the others you'll have to get through to see Yuna," laughed Dona. "She's a busy girl. World famous. It will take some convincing. If you need to use my name, tell them that I'll vouch for you. And they can make the trip over here to prove it."

"Thank you," said Wren, smiling. She turned away, waving goodbye to the other woman.

"Don't miss the ferry out of here," said Dona. "It sounds like you've got your work cut out for you."


	4. An Honor and a Privilege

That night, at the travel agency, Twill was already waiting for them in their room, by the table. They sat near the window, which they'd covered, their scarves removed for ease of comfort. On the bed was a long object, wrapped in a thick, crinkly paper.

"That's for you," they said, pointing to Wren.

"This is the staff?" she asked, sounding pleasantly surprised.

"And this is for you," said Merris, setting the cooked fish before the Guado.

"Where did you get this?" asked Twill.

"Spent some time talking to a summoner in town," he said, grinning. "She let us stay for dinner and told us to take this back to you. You'd better be hungry."

"I am," said Twill, smiling faintly. "I actually haven't eaten yet, I was waiting for the two of you to return."

"Sorry about that," said Wren. "I didn't want to turn her down, you know..."

"It's fine. Just take a look at the staff I bought," said Twill, unwrapping the fish. "I'll help you practice with it a bit before we leave, if you like."

Wren placed her hand on the item in question, taking hold of it and holding it upright to compare its height to herself. It felt lightweight, even clumsily wrapped in the paper, which was good because it was quite long. Not too much for her to carry, but enough to be cumbersome. Finally, she unwrapped it, starting with the heavier end, revealing a crystal bauble on the end of the staff, the other end made of a lightweight wood. It was very simple, but that was all she needed.

"It's perfect. Thank you," said Wren, smiling widely.

"You're gonna train her to use magic?" asked Merris, tilting his head at the weapon.

Twill's mouth was full, and they frowned as they swallowed, quite enjoying the fish until that moment. "I'm glad you like it. And if I must teach her, then yes. I'm not really advanced with magic myself, but I can certainly give a few tips that will make things easier. We can practice together, as long as we keep our energy up."

"Casting usually takes a lot out of me," said Wren honestly.

"With a conduit, it should be easier on you. You've been using yourself as one, essentially, until now. Of course you were putting strain on yourself. Now that you've got your own staff, things should go much smoother, and you'll be able to focus on strengthening your spells."

Wren smiled, touching the body of the staff gently, like she couldn't wait to get started. Her fingertips felt tingly, and she held the staff closer to her body almost protectively.

"This means a lot," she said. "Thank you for doing this for me."

Twill waved their hand, nodding. They were once again engrossed in the fish, but they seemed to appreciate her gratitude. Maybe they were embarrassed, realized Wren.

"Do anything else interesting while we were gone?" asked Wren.

Swallowing, Twill nodded, glancing at her. "Not something I did, exactly, but I almost forgot. I heard something interesting in the market... I heard that there's a man visiting from out of town. They say he's been visiting all of the temples, lately. I think he must be some kind of expert, or... something, in order to be drumming up excitement among the religious in town."

Wren thought for a moment. "I didn't know there was anyone else with that much of an interest, to be called an expert... Maybe I should try to meet with him, before the boat leaves tomorrow. We've got until the afternoon, right?"

"Do you know how to find this man?" asked Merris, looking at Twill.

"Actually, I thought you might like to look into it and compare notes, or something of that nature, so I did inquire about him a little," said Twill, smiling slyly. "They told me what he looks like, and his name. He doesn't dress like he's from around here, so he won't be very hard to find."

"What's his name?" asked Wren.

"They said his name is Mobius," they answered. "Supposedly he's a man who isn't much older than any of us, with long black hair, and glasses. Paired with his heavier clothing, he won't be hard to spot."

"Most of the islanders dress pretty sparingly," said Wren, giggling. "Yeah, doesn't sound like we'll have a lot of trouble finding him if we ask around."

"Tomorrow, right? We'd better hurry, and we'd better hope he's still here," said Merris.

"They said he just returned here from Besaid, and tomorrow he's going to the temple before he leaves for the mainland," replied Twill, eyeing the remainder of the fish. "We'll have to be quick."

Wren gave her new staff a little hug, grinning. "Alright. Tomorrow. Everyone make sure we're packed up before we go back to the temple."

The second trip to the temple was shorter, since they had navigated it before already. Everyone's belongings had been left behind in the travel agency, ready to be collected before leaving the island, but they were still short on time. If they wanted to meet with this researcher, they had to be quick.

When they arrived at the temple, everything was exactly as the day before. The caretakers were going about their daily chores and rituals, and there was no one who fit the description that Twill had been given to be seen.

Wren approached a man who was tending to the fires burning in the temple. "I was here yesterday, you might remember. I was planning on leaving for Besaid today, but I was told there was a man who would be visiting today, named Mobius. Have you seen him?"

The man paused his work for only a moment to listen, stoking the flames as he answered. "I have been informed of his arrival, but he is not here yet. If you wait, he should arrive sometime soon. He came here a few days ago, on his way to Besaid, and I'm told he plans to be here only for a short while before departing as well, to Luca."

"It seems to be a popular route lately," murmured Twill.

Wren thanked the man, then turned back to her companions as he returned to working in silence.

"We can spare a few minutes… It'll be a couple of hours before the boat arrives," she said. "...I guess I don't expect to speak with him for very long, especially since he's here on his own business."

"It's fine," said Twill, reassuringly.

"I wonder why they knew he was coming ahead of time," said Merris, frowning.

Wren murmured in agreement, but continued standing patiently as she waited for the man to arrive. She wondered if it would be rude to ask, feeling a bit nosy, but now that it had been brought up, she wondered that as well.

Only a few minutes later, a heavily dressed man entered the main room of the temple. He had long, dark hair which he wore in a braid draped over his shoulder, and rectangular, silver wire glasses framing his eyes. His brightly colored cloak appeared to be connected to his sleeves somehow, which flowed down to his mid calves. The shirt he wore didn't cover his midriff, instead being paired with a skirt of the same color that had a slit running up to his thigh, exposing most of his left leg.

He was notably barefoot, even though the sun beating down made the stones leading up to the temple rather hot.

This surprised Wren, since he was dressed warmly otherwise, apart from his bare middle. Maybe it was his way of cooling off? She didn't know. Maybe he was just eccentric.

Before Wren had a chance to approach him, he greeted the temple's head priest respectfully, but warmly, as if they were familiar. She saw him place something in the priest's hands, which appeared to be a thick piece of paper. The man read it over for a few moments, then nodded, saying a few words to him that Wren couldn't make out.

"I was surprised when you decided to indulge my whims for the sake of my research," said Mobius, to Wren's curiosity. "But this is a great honor, I truly appreciate being granted your permission to enter the sacred halls of the Cloister."

Wren perked up at that, looking at him with widened eyes.

"You… you're going into the Cloister of Trials?" she asked out loud, enough for him to hear.

The man who appeared to be Mobius turned to look at the source of the voice. "I have been granted special permission to enter, for my research. It's not a privilege that's given lightly."

"Oh, I don't mean to offend," said Wren, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, it's just that I'm surprised. I actually came here to speak with you, about my own research."

The head priest spoke up this time. "She's a sphere recorder who was here yesterday, asking questions about the pilgrimage."

"Oh?" asked Mobius, tilting his head at her and her entourage. "You have an interest in the pilgrimage?"

Wren nodded eagerly. "I'm… working on a movie sphere about it. I'm traveling to the different temples and talking to people about the history of it. The tradition isn't practiced anymore, now that we've entered the Eternal Calm, but I think it's important to make sure its history is recorded."

He seemed to think about this for a few moments, then turned to the priest once more. "I ventured to Besaid to obtain Lady Yuna's blessing to enter the temple, but perhaps I could bring them along? There were issues with fiends a few years back, after all. I may need assistance in clearing a path for myself, if there are any still left inside."

The priest scratched his neck absently while he thought it over, looking to the three of them.

"She may go by herself," he said, gesturing to Wren. "But she may not take her recording equipment with her. Whatever you find, you use in your research, but the Cloister of Trials was not meant for the eyes of non-summoners. If you can aid him, you may enter."

Wren put one hand over her heart in absolute shock, nodding. "I can help! I mean, if you need a hand with fiends, I can help. I know some magic…"

Mobius chuckled at her enthusiasm, then looked to the priest. "If she leaves her equipment behind, then. I will take her with me."

Putting her hands on her face, Wren turned to the other two, absolutely giddy as she looked at them. She couldn't find any words to speak as she tucked her pencil and paper into her belt, and removed her belt to pass to Merris. "Take care of this. I'll be back when we're done."

"How long will it be before you're finished?" Twill asked, looking at Mobius. "I don't want to hurry you, but we'll be on our way to Besaid, once the ferry arrives."

"It shouldn't be very long," assured Mobius. "If I find nothing, we'll be back shortly. You'll make it in time for the ferry."

Twill nodded, then turned to look at Wren again. "We'll wait outside for you. Be careful in there."

"I will," said Wren, removing her staff from her back and clutching it tightly. "I'll come back in one piece, I promise."

She turned back to the two men, and bowed gratefully to the priest. "Thank you so much. I promise, I won't do anything to disrespect the sanctity of the temple. I won't even touch anything, if I can help it."

Mobius smiled faintly, then nodded to the two of them. "Come along, then. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for you."

He started in the direction of the cloister, and Wren followed, gripping the staff gleefully as she passed the door into the sacred ground of the Cloister of Trials.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **I've drawn all of my original characters so far already, so you can view all of them on my deviantart. Twill is already a year old, and I've had them longer than I've been planning to write this fic, haha. I was thrilled to finally have something to do with them when the idea hit me.**

 **Also, I'm aware of the existence of Mobius Final Fantasy, so having an FF FC with that name sounds weird, but I was thinking about the fact that they'd passed up the chance to use that name for a character in Spira, but maybe that was a little too on the nose, haha.**


	5. Sea Change

When the elevator descending into the Cloister stopped, the two were standing in the first chamber of the Trial. It was a small, stone room, lined with some sort of sphere based mechanism next to the door leading deeper into the Cloister, but the mechanism didn't appear to be active. Everything was lifeless, and there were no spheres in sight, despite the mechanisms in place. The details of what lay inside the cloisters of the temples were meant only for summoners and their guardians, but Wren guessed that there was currently no trial in place at all, now that it had been abandoned.

Wren looked up at Mobius, who gestured to her politely.

"You don't have to worry about taking care of me," he said. "But I thought you might appreciate a closer look into this world."

"Oh, wow, alright," she laughed quietly. "I can defend myself well enough, but I'm really a beginner when it comes to magic, so I'm kind of relieved."

"Don't worry, I guessed as much." He placed a hand against the moldings on the wall, tracing a few inches of the design embossed into the wall's surface. "So, you've come to Kilika to do research? Are you a historian?"

"Not by profession," admitted Wren, watching him curiously. "It's more than a hobby to me, but I'm just a recorder from Luca stadium. I'm not a scholar or anything. And I'm not working with Yevon, either."

"Interesting." He turned his attention to the mechanism next to the door, which pointed down the path into the next room. As he started to walk, Wren followed behind him.

The Cloister was surprisingly well-lit. It was still dim, but they had no need for a torch as they entered the next room. The next chamber was smaller still, with more decorative carvings in the wall, but it seemed to be the sphere mechanism that held his attention the most.

"It's a shame none of these Trials are active anymore, although it does make things simpler," he said out loud, shaking his head. "Anyway… You decided to seek me out to aid your research?"

"One of my... friends heard a rumor around town that you were here," said Wren. "I've, uh, actually never heard of you, but there was a lot of excitement around town, apparently. They said you were researching here too. I was hoping to compare notes, but it looks like we might not have time, since we're here, and both of us have separate ferries to catch. Still, I never thought I'd be standing in the Cloister of Trials."

"I'm actually a bit surprised I managed to get permission myself," he murmured, passing deeper into the trial. "It took a bit of convincing. Normally, only high ranking officials of Yevon are allowed inside, besides summoners. I spoke with High Summoner Yuna in Besaid, and told her about my mission. She was reluctant, but I believe she saw some value in my research, or the two of us wouldn't be here."

"Of course, we're technically here to make sure the temple doesn't overflow with fiends," he said. "But it is what it is."

Wren tilted her head at him as she followed him, intrigued now. "What is your research for? I don't mean to be rude, but I'm a little surprised you got permission to come here."

They stood on one side of a much larger room now, which was divided by a gap in the floor, only a few feet deep, but several more across. Stairs led in and out of the pit on both sides of the gap, and looking down, the stone seemed to be scorched. What had this been for? She took the notepad from her belt and started making notes, doodling beside them on the page.

"Ah, you see. I'm conducting my own research into Yevon's past," said Mobius, visibly pleased with her interest. "I'm part of a small group of Yevonites who formed our own group after the church crumbled. We actually originally came from New Yevon, but that was short-lived."

"I've never heard of this," said Wren. "How long ago did this start?"

"Not too long ago, it's only been a couple of years now, but our circle mostly keeps to itself," he said. "Our leader had some disagreements about the way Praetor Baralai ran New Yevon... So our group relocated to Djose, actually. That's where most of our supporters are based. I've done some work there, since the temple generates power to the town, but outside of our base of operations, obviously I can't enter sacred ground so freely."

"I heard there were more people settling down in Djose now," said Wren. "I haven't been since they started building. I used to travel with my mom, but after she died I stayed in Luca."

Mobius looked at her sympathetically. "My condolences. But yes, there are new arrivals in Djose nearly every day. Construction is still being done, but it has grown quickly already. It was all thanks to the now disbanded machine faction, along with our leader, who acted as their benefactor. Since power to run the machina there is easy to come by, there have been some interesting advances in technology found only in Djose. Thanks, again, to the Al Bhed. Their work is really quite remarkable."

"I'd like to see it sometime," murmured Wren, smiling. "These days there are so many machina around, I feel a bit overwhelmed by what they can do now that Yevon isn't forbidding everyone from using them."

Mobius nodded and returned her glance, then descended the stairs to cross the gap in the room. "It's difficult to ignore their presence now, certainly. Machina are becoming more present in our lives, and in Djose we are fairly reliant on them for help with the construction of the town. Our group can't really afford to turn it down. Though some of us may choose not to operate the machines ourselves."

Wren followed Mobius to the stairs leading to the final room before the Chamber of the Fayth. She looked around the lobby area, where guardians once waited for the return of their summoners from the Chamber of the Fayth, and seemed reluctant to continue on.

"Should we go inside?" she asked, almost awed. "We haven't seen any fiends… Only summoners are allowed in the Fayth's chamber, right?"

Mobius nodded, smiling. "There is no Fayth here anymore. If there were, the air would be filled with its song already. To those tasked with clearing fiends from the temple, the sanctity of the Fayth's private chamber is lost, with no Fayth, and no summoners to commune with it. It is much the same in Djose."

Wren made a small noise of compromise as her curiosity got the better of her, and when Mobius moved the sliding door to the chamber, she followed.

Inside was a gaping maw of a pit that when Wren looked inside, it seemed to lead into nothingness. A fine mist seeped out of it, filling the room and making the temperature much cooler than the trial chambers before it. "Is this where the fiends come from?"

"Exactly. Lady Yuna has told me that the pit leads to the Farplane itself, and that there is a similar pit in every temple in Spira," he said, nodding. "This is where the Fayth's statue once rested. Without it, there's only the door to the realm of the pyreflies, and the dead find themselves in our world, where they become fiends. All of the temples are most likely connected in this way."

Pyreflies floated on the mist that seemed to make the air tangible, despite remaining easy as ever to breathe, the lights illuminating their faces and the rest of the small chamber. Wren looked around the room curiously. "I don't think I've seen so many in one place before."

"The Fayth's chamber in Djose is the same," said Mobius. "When someone of considerable faith prays inside the chamber, the temple generates electricity. Our sect has a group of people dedicated to this duty, powering the town."

"That's amazing," murmured Wren. "Even after Yevon lost so much of its following, the power of their belief is strong enough to supply power to everyone else. I can't wait to see it when I visit Djose."

"Ah, yes, your journey," he said, glancing at her. "Perhaps we'll meet there, when you arrive in Djose. I'll extend an invitation to you personally; I have enough beds for you and your friends."

As Wren was about to reply, the pyreflies suddenly shifted, swirling around one another. Something began to manifest before them, a weak figure appearing.

It almost looked like a person, with distinct limbs and even clothing, but it was faint, lacking a face, and continued to glow brightly with the light of the pyreflies that formed it. It became difficult to look at past the white light, and Wren had to shield her eyes to look at it. Just as it was nearly completed, its shape crumbled, unable to reform as a human.

Instead, its shape changed drastically to that of a monster, its head taking up the majority of its torso, and with great jaws filled with many, many teeth. Its shoulders were hunched at the top of its head, and a set of massive claws extended from both of its arms. Its eyes were beady and horrible, and as the light faded away, it was looking directly at the two of them with a hungry look.

Wren screamed, readying her staff even though she backed away from the beast, nearly at the door now. Mobius, however, stood his ground, revealing his own weapon: a trident that appeared almost to be made of glass.

Wren, with no proper idea of how to use her abilities, called forth fire, trying to imagine channeling it through her staff, which she directed at the beast. Her staff sparked, sending out weak flames that singed the creature's side, causing it to screech in pain, but not causing it any noticeable harm.

The beast was backed against the edge of the pit into the Farplane, but it wasn't budging, even as it reeled. It swiped at Mobius, then shouted, shooting powerful ice magic at him from its mouth. Mobius shielded his face from the cold, unable to see through the flurries of ice. He had to retreat out of its immediate range, sprinting around the pit.

The beast's attacks seemed to be erratic; even as it aimed for Mobius, its screams echoing throughout the trial each time its ice magic chased the man, who was quicker than it could turn around the room. Mobius ended up behind the fiend, using this opportunity to ready his own magic.

The air felt thick as the head of Mobius' trident started to glow. Droplets of moisture began to form from it, and the room rapidly became humid. This sudden change alarmed the beast, which whirled around to see the source of the light that was suddenly filling the room once again.

Water began to dance around Mobius now, and he drew a circle around his feet with the instrument as he channeled its magic.

"Kianpraty, I summon you!" he called, offering the trident to the ceiling.

Wren's eyes widened as something else suddenly formed in the room with them.

It stood on four legs, and its shoulders were still taller than Mobius at full height, easily five or six feet. Its head looked much like a boar, with large tusks, it's body like a hippopotamus, with thick, shaggy fur, like moss. Its feet ended in thick, padded claws, and its tail was long and bushy, like a mix between a horse's and a dog's. The creature known as Kianpraty roared, and Mobius reached out to touch its side, almost comfortingly as he stroked its fur.

The fiend, bewildered, let out a roar, throwing its claws back as it made itself appear threatening. It was ready to charge at Mobius and his creature, stepping back to gain some momentum.

Kianpraty readied magic of its own, opening its jaws. It inhaled sharply, and the humidity was suddenly sucked out of the air, the room growing dry as a bone, as a ball of energy formed between its great tusks. A blast of scalding water fired from the orb, directly hitting the beast before them, searing its flesh. The fiend let out a hideous, high pitched tone as it was blasted away, melting once more into hundreds of pyreflies which dissipated back into the mist of the Farplane.

Mobius stroked Kianpraty's mossy hide once more, then dismissed it. Kianpraty turned its head to him, nuzzling gently with its cheek, before bursting into pyreflies once more. Mobius seemed unfrazzled by the ordeal, compared to Wren, who was very much frazzled.

"That was unexpected," he said, almost amused.

"You-" said Wren, gesturing at him with both hands, her staff pointed directly at him. "What in the world was that?! Did you just summon?"

The man turned to look at her, almost surprised by her reaction. "I did. I am a ranking official of my sect, and I am a summoner."

"How could you- All of the Fayth vanished when Lady Yuna defeated Sin!" she said, waving her arms.

"It's a trade secret, you could say. Necessary for our cause," he said firmly. "I'm sorry to have caused you any alarm, but I didn't have time to warn you."

"I'm... shocked," she said, shaking her head. "I thought it was impossible… Do Fayth really still exist? Are there more we don't know about, like the Fayth rumored to be inside that cave near the Calmlands?"

"The stolen Fayth has vanished as well, but this Aeon is a creation of my own. Followers of Yevon willingly gave their lives for our cause, allowing new Fayth statues to be created," said Mobius, touching the length of the trident tenderly.

"People have to die for them to be created, don't they?" asked Wren, still shaking her head in disbelief. "What cause do you stand for? What's going on?"

"We simply want to preserve the nature of Spira," he said, looking at her. "We exist to protect it. If anything rises up to harm the people of Spira, we will ensure there will always be someone to defend against it. That is what we believe in."

"Protection?" she asked, slowly calming down. At least the shaking finally stopped. "That's still incredible… I don't believe it."

"That is what we have deemed necessary in order to keep Spira at peace," he said. "Remember, an Aeon cannot be created from an unwilling soul. Kianpraty was once a member of our sect as well, and he decided this himself, to protect the people of Spira. We would never dream of forcing that on someone."

Wren nodded. "Yeah, I understand, I think. I'm just… surprised. That's still amazing. Your bond must have been strong, for you to have created an Aeon like that. Do you mind if I take notes?"

"No, by all means, that is part of why I invited you to come with me," said Mobius, smiling. "Write whatever you like about anything you've seen here. I believe what you're doing is important. Part of my goal is to impart knowledge that previously belonged only to Yevon to the people of Spira. Our history must be known."

"Sounds like I have your endorsement," she said, laughing.

Mobius laughed in agreement, then turned away from the pit, beginning to exit the chamber. "I think I've seen all I need to, for now. It seems just the same as Djose, but this was remarkable nonetheless. I hope this was helpful to your research in some way."

"Absolutely," she started to say, but stopped.

Something else rose out of the mist where the fiend had vanished, glowing a bit brighter than the other pyreflies. It seemed to be larger, like a cluster of pyreflies, but somehow, Wren had a bad feeling about it. Mobius didn't seem to see it as he started to step through the doorway leading back into the lobby area of the Cloister.

It was looming towards Mobius, and Wren whispered at him to get his attention, unsure of what to think.

"Is it another fiend?" she asked, quietly.

Before Mobius could answer, the cluster of pyreflies suddenly charged at him, rushing towards him without warning.

"Watch out!" called Wren, dropping her staff.

She lunged at him, throwing her full weight at him and knocking him to the ground. His breath hitched, as she knocked the wind out of him, and she felt a sharp pain in her back as she took the full blast from the pyreflies flowing through her. She gasped from the pain, feeling dizzy and sick at once.

Mobius wheezed as he sat up on the temple's floor. The pyreflies had vanished, and despite that he hadn't seen what happened before she'd tackled him to the ground, he worked out quickly what had happened. He removed her from his person to get to his feet, rubbing his sore spots where he'd collided with the ground.

"What have you done?" he asked, looking down at her.

She didn't respond, staring, dazed, back at him. She tried to sit up, but was too weak, succeeding only in curling up tighter. Her eyes were wide, as if she saw nothing around her, but she managed to turn her eyes towards the man. It was like her body couldn't contain the terror she felt, a trembling mess.

He looked away, as if trying to think of what to do from here. Shaking his head in disbelief, he knelt beside her. "I'm going to carry you back to your friends. They will have to take care of you from there, but the people here in the temple should be able to help you."

He scooped her up in his arms, something Wren only barely felt. She could feel the warmth of his cloak against her as he lifted her, and the motion as he carried her through the cloister, but she couldn't keep her eyes open anymore. Her nerves were shot, and she could hardly keep her eyes open.

She was only barely aware of Mobius speaking to someone, and other alarmed voices calling out to her.

No sooner than she allowed her eyes to close, she was out, lying completely still in his arms.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Excited and nervous about this chapter, since it turned out much longer than some of the others combined. After this, it will probably go back down to only being a couple of pages long at a time lmao.**


	6. Welcome Back

Wren woke up in a bed, but she didn't recognize the room when she opened her eyes. Her vision was blurred, but after blinking a few times, the world came back into focus.

"She's waking up," said Merris' voice.

Wren could hear feet shuffling around the room, and she slowly started to sit up. It wasn't the travel agency, she realized. She was still at the temple, in one of the rooms underground that housed refugees and the sick and injured.

"How do you feel?" asked Twill, kneeling down beside the low bed she was lying on.

"Groggy," said Wren, holding her head a little. Her eyes felt a little sore, a small headache coming over her. "Wow. How long was I out? Did we miss the boat?"

Twill shifted to the side. "Yes, unfortunately we've been here ever since Mobius brought you back. It's noon, you've been unconscious for almost a day."

"I'm sorry," mumbled Wren. "I was completely in shock, I couldn't even move or speak… That's the last thing I remember."

"What happened to you in the Cloister?" asked Merris, frowning. "You were already unconscious when that man brought you here, but he didn't have much to offer when we asked what happened. He said you were attacked by something…?"

Wren shook her head slowly. "Uh, yeah, we were attacked by a fiend. There's this big pit in the Chamber of the Fayth, where the Fayth stone used to be, apparently… He said it was connected to the Farplane, and then a huge fiend showed up, and he took care of it."

She glanced to the cleric who was watching over the room from the doorway, deciding to keep the summoning bit to herself for now. She was having trouble thinking clearly, but she had a feeling she should assess the situation herself before saying something right in front of followers of Yevon.

"After it disappeared… the pyreflies that came from it reformed into a big blob of them, like one big floating lantern," she mumbled, shaking her head. "It didn't look dangerous, but it went straight for Mobius, so I pushed him out of the way, so it hit me instead. I don't know what happened."

Twill frowned at that, but found themself nodding anyway. "I've never known pyreflies to behave that way. Will you be alright?"

"I should be fine," said Wren. "I just feel like I slept for way too long. Whatever happened down there, I feel just fine, apart from that. It's… kind of weird, actually."

"I'm glad you're alright though; we weren't sure what to do," said Merris, nudging Twill a little. "We've been here watching you with help from the people at the temple."

"Yeah, I'm sorry," Wren said again, smiling. "I definitely don't want to leave you guys stranded out here. But I'm alright, and we can still catch the next ferry, right?"

She paused, looking around the room. "What happened to Mobius?"

Merris pursed his lips, shaking his head just a little. "He had his own ferry to catch. I guess he was in a hurry, because he brought you here, talked to the head priest for a few minutes about what had happened, and then told us he was leaving."

Wren turned her body so she could stand up out of the bed, and did so a little shakily, but she managed it. Her head was spinning, but it would pass. "That's fine, I didn't really expect him to stay. Apparently, he's pretty busy."

"I'm just surprised he's walking around on his own so far from Djose," said Merris.

"What do you mean?" asked Twill.

"He's the leader of that group in Djose. The one that took over after the machine faction split up," he said, shrugging. "Respira. You've never heard of them?"

Twill frowned. "No, I haven't been through Djose recently myself. I passed through without stopping in the town, but I've heard of the group before. I had no idea that was him."

"He's their leader?" asked Wren, blinking. "He talked about it, but I didn't realize… I don't know much about it."

"I don't know that much either, just that they exist, and his name and face," admitted Merris. "Their focus is on creating a place of respite for the people of Spira, or… something. They're supposed to be a group dedicated to the planet and its people."

"Mobius was friendlier than I expected him to be," he added. "He seems to like spending time in the public eye."

Wren was still holding her head, frowning. She was beginning to process everything that had recently happened since they arrived at the temple the day before. Getting to see the inside of the temple wasn't quite as magical of an experience as she had thought. Of course, it was an accident, but paired with her headache, she was beginning to feel a bit negative.

"We should start moving, if Wren is feeling alright," said Twill. "We have a bit of time before the next ferry arrives, it should be enough to get back and get our things, and get something for Wren to eat before we head out."

"I am pretty hungry," Wren said out loud, as if she'd just realized. "You guys are probably hungry too."

"We had dinner here at the temple," said Twill, a bit sheepish. "And breakfast. Since we stayed here with you overnight."

"Oh, I get it," she said. "I guess we'd better stop by the market then. I can make it back, don't worry."

* * *

After a few minutes of making sure Wren was really fit enough to make the journey back into town, they departed from the temple. They collected their things, explored the market one last time, then paid their fare to board the S.S. Liki.

Wren decided to stay below deck this time, still feeling a bit achy. Apart from whatever strange thing had happened to her, she had tackled a man to the ground. Her headache was clearing up, but she had earned herself a few bruises in the process of shielding Mobius from the strange pyreflies.

Twill and Merris stayed with her below deck as well. The tense air was finally lightening after that scare, but none of them were in the mood to socialize with the other passengers.

Wren sat with her legs pulled up to her chest, leaning on her knees while she thought. "...I didn't mention it at the temple, but when Mobius defeated that monster in the temple… He used an aeon."

"Are you sure?" asked Twill. "You didn't hit your head, did you?"

Wren shook her head. "No, definitely not. Everything's kinda fuzzy; I still feel a little sick, but I know what I saw. He called it… Kianpraty. It was huge, like a big stone shoopuf, all covered in moss."

"That isn't one of the temple aeons," said Twill, frowning deeply. "Is he creating his own Fayth?"

"He said so himself. He said his followers dedicate their lives to the cause," said Wren.

"Well… it's true that you can't force someone to become a Fayth, isn't it?" asked Merris.

"It's true that the Fayth determine who they deem worthy to lend their power to, but... Still, what does he need such power for?" asked Twill. "What is it Respira believes they're protecting everyone from, exactly?"

Wren didn't have an answer. Neither did Merris. The three of them shared a few moments of perplexed silence.

"You should rest, if you still feel unwell," said Twill. "You slept for a long time, but your body hasn't recovered."

Twill placed one hand on Wren's shoulder, then smoothed her hair gently, somehow making her feel a little better. They were still only acquaintances, but Wren had heard that the Guado were sensitive to things that couldn't be seen, like the emotions of others. Twill seemed particularly empathetic; they had been looking out for her since the two of them had met, after all.

After a moment, Twill paused, their expression a slight frown as they pulled their hand away. "...You did say it was the pyreflies that attacked you, didn't you?"

Wren looked at them oddly. "Yes, why?"

"That explains it," said Twill, nodding as their expression turned thoughtful. "You still have an air of the Farplane around you. I didn't notice right away."

"What does that mean? Is it bad?" asked Wren.

"No, no, it's nothing. In addition to the pyreflies, you were in the innermost sanctum of the temple at the time, it's likely that some of that energy rubbed off on you," said Twill, shaking their head. "Once you've had time to fully recover, that will return to normal as well."

Wren smiled a little. "Glad it isn't serious."

She couldn't see their face, but she could see the corners of Twill's eyes crease slightly as they returned her smile, a gesture that comforted her greatly.

"I'll just stay here until we arrive in Besaid," said Wren. "Thanks for looking out for me, you two."

"That's what we're here for," snorted Merris, smiling.

Wren stretched out on the floor beside the two of them, looking up at the wooden ceiling. She was still pretty worn out, despite feeling fine otherwise. She had no idea how she was going to get to sleep that night, however.

At least she could relax for awhile, before the ship docked.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **This chapter is a little longer, but a little slow. Sorry about that, haha.**

 **Respira is pronounced like "respiratory," by the way.**


	7. Besaid

Wren must have managed to doze off at some point during the trip, only realizing this because she found herself waking up. She pulled herself off the floor, realizing that the groggy feeling had vanished. She felt considerably better, to her surprise.

There was Twill, right beside her, and Merris had vanished once more, it seemed.

"Merris went to the upper deck," said Twill, nodding to her. "I get the feeling he doesn't like closed spaces. He stayed for longer than I thought he would, but he came back a few minutes ago to tell us we'll be docking soon. I was just about to wake you, actually."

"We're… here already?" asked Wren.

"It probably seems like a shorter trip when you can sleep through the whole thing," said Twill, chuckling. "But yes, we'll be on the beach of Besaid island shortly."

It didn't quite feel real to Wren, though she couldn't decide why. She felt like something odd had happened to her while she slept, like she'd had a dream that she just couldn't remember. Images that came to mind were glowing lights, an unfamiliar city skyline, and a night sky illuminated so brightly that she could hardly see any stars.

Those images started to fade as she heard a bell ringing from the upper deck. She got to her feet slowly, gathering her bag, then looked to Twill, who was already standing.

"I guess we'd better get ready to go," said Twill. "Merris took his things with him. I guess he expected to spend most of the trip there."

Twill collected their things as Wren passed it to them, then turned to the door to head up the stairs.

The voices of the crew rose up as they pulled into the dock. It was much smaller than the docks of Luca, which Wren has expected, but it was so peaceful. The S.S. Liki was the only ferry between the two islands, and the only other boats were a couple of fishing boats used off the coast, and Wren could still see them in the distance away from the island.

As expected, Merris was quick to catch up with the two of them as they stood on the deck. They stood at the railing, looking at the beach as the gangplank was lowered. Finally, they could deboard, and wasted no time in doing so.

Wren's legs still felt wobbly once she was on dry land, still expecting the heavy sway of the waves rocking the boat. It almost felt like she'd never get used to being on solid ground again, but she knew better.

"Feeling better?" asked Merris, as they crossed the soft white sand of the beach.

The sand started to fade into tall grass, as the forest started ahead of them. A clear path was cut through the land, even marked off with a thin rope railing to mark the cliff's edge as they climbed.

"Oh yeah, I feel a lot better," said Wren. "I've still got some bruises, but I'm fine. I feel amazing."

"That's good. It's a bit of a trek before we reach the village, I'm told," said Twill, laughing softly. "As long as we stick to the path, we should be able to find our way."

Unfortunately, there was a slight complication. There was a very small crowd forming on the path ahead of them, and Wren recognized some of them as passengers from the boat.

As they approached, a couple of them turned to look at the newcomers, worried expressions on their face. One of them put a finger to their lips silently, using the other hand to point at what was blocking their way.

A large fiend shaped like a wild dog lie in the middle of the path, apparently asleep. It didn't look like too much to handle for an experienced fighter, but the group was mostly comprised of tourists. It was no wonder none of them knew what to do.

Merris stepped forward, motioning to the other two.

"We'll take care of it," he said quietly, nodding to the small group that was anxiously waiting.

"Someone already ran for help," said one of the tourists, a woman. "We can wait for them to come back."

The three of them hadn't been passed by anyone on the trail, so it seemed the person that had been sent ahead had gone to the village.

"The three of us can handle it," said Twill reassuringly. "We've been traveling together for a short time now, but have already encountered fiends such as this one. As long as you all stay back here where you are, we can clear the path."

Wren nodded fervently, reaching for her staff.

The group seemed to agree that it would save time, if they could take care of it, murmuring between themselves, all of them slowly migrating back even farther to stay out of their way.

As the three of them moved towards the fiend, Twill nodded to Wren. "It will be good practice for you. Focus on channeling your mana through the staff. It's something you must feel."

"I'll do my best," said Wren.

She felt her hands slip a little, palms sweating from nervousness, and had to keep telling herself that she would be fine. Twill kept assuring her that they and Merris could take care of things if she was struggling, but she wanted to learn from this experience too. Even if she couldn't be the biggest help, she was going to learn.

Twill stepped forward first, delivering a jolt of lightning which woke the dingo quickly, the creature yelping and snarling as it started to its feet. They had its attention now.

A faster opponent than others he had fought, Merris had to keep up with it, his footwork fast enough to let him land a hit or two on it, but he had to stand clear in order to allow the other two to cast.

The dingo shook itself out, growling, and barreled towards them, its gaze settling on Wren as it charged her.

Wren raised her staff this time with confidence, readying herself. She hardly had time to think before she acted, the fiend moving far too quickly for that, but she did as Twill said, focusing as she had before.

As she cleared her mind, visualizing fire expelled from her staff surrounding the fiend, it happened. Fire, much stronger flames than before, erupted around the fiend. It was contained, not wild and grasping like her previous attempts had been, even as weak as her magic had been. The sheer amount of energy that was charging through her fingertips was almost shocking compared to her last attempt. She could feel it, just as Twill had instructed. The spell that she'd materialized was stronger than her beginner's fire magic.

The fiend was severely burned, and before it could reach the three of them, it exploded into the same pyreflies Wren was accustomed to. Feathery, friendly, almost melancholy as they danced. Not like the cluster that had attacked her.

Twill's eyes were somewhat wider than before as they looked at Wren, clearly impressed, but they said nothing. The spear from their back was removed as they prepared to send the banished spirit.

The pyreflies were dispersed quickly, and the tourists from the ferry finally relaxed, for the most part.

Merris gestured to the group, waving at them. "It's safe to cross, but we're gonna go on ahead to make sure there are no other fiends on the trail."

Satisfied with that, both Wren's group and the others began making progress towards the small town once again.

"You must have gotten some good practice in against that thing in the temple," said Merris, ruffling Wren's hair playfully.

"I really didn't," she said, almost embarrassed as she smoothed her hair back into place. "I really didn't do anything, I managed a fire spell, since that's really all I know, but I didn't do anything to it. Except maybe tickle it a little, but that's it… It's just because I did what Twill said. Besides… the thing I saw in the temple was a lot stronger than that fiend."

"It was still impressive," commented Twill, seeming pleased. "Perhaps we can work on other elemental spells as well, from here."

"I'd like that," said Wren. "I know you guys are supposed to be protecting me, but I want to pull my own weight too. If I can get strong enough that we can be a team instead of you just acting as my bodyguards…"

They came up over the last hill, looking down on the village cradled by the land.

Wren reached into her bag to take out her recording equipment, taking a decent shot of the village from above before the tourists caught up to them. Below, she could see people moving from hut to hut, going about their daily lives. The village seemed peaceful, almost lazy, an air as if it hadn't changed in hundreds of years.

Of course, Wren knew that atmosphere must have been different, now that the village had a high summoner, several of her guardians, and a blitzball star to boot living in it. Clearly it attracted more visitors than it once had, but it was still a sleepy, pleasant little town.

Wren put her camera away after a few minutes, smiling to herself.

No matter what happened, she had made it here, and that's what was important. Even if they turned her away at the door, that was fine with her. She still had more places to go, and more to see to complete her work. It was the love of the journey, for her.

Still, it didn't hurt to hope that she could see Lady Yuna in person.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **I'm starting to realize that it might be beneficial for me to at least view the cutscenes for Last Mission, but after finishing the games I wasn't really feeling Another 100 floor dungeon crawl, and I really do plan on playing it One Day ;;u;; I struggled enough with Via Infinito and managed to create an alternate universe where YRP enter the labyrinth and never come back out (my last save was at one of the boss floors and I lost my save data/had to start the entire game over in the middle of chapter 5), so I haven't ever wanted to pick it back up.**

 **This is more of a ramble than a note, haha.**


	8. Yuna

The village wasn't as busy as Wren was used to, but it was still lively. There were people working at their crafts, managing their small shops from their own homes… It was interesting to her, who was used to one of the largest cities in Spira, even before settling down in Luca.

Those little homes were scattered everywhere in clusters, huddled close together, as if you could feel the sense of community of the people living here. Everyone seemed to know each other, which was hardly a surprise given the size of the village.

"Should we start at the temple?" asked Wren, looking up at Twill as the three of them stood in the center of the town.

"For a high summoner? That would probably be the most likely place to start," they said, thinking. "But that woman, Dona, said that we would have to speak to Lady Yuna's guardians before seeing her. If I remember correctly, one of her guardians is the current mayor. We should probably seek an audience with her first."

Wren gave a hum of agreement, and their search began. The village was small, and it took hardly any time to be pointed in the direction of the mayor's home.

Merris was the one who stood outside, knocking on the side of the doorway gently with the back of his hand.

"Come in," said a woman's voice from inside, followed by the ecstatic laughter of a small child.

Merris gestured to the other two for them to go in, then followed behind.

"Pardon the intrusion," said Wren, meekly.

Inside was a woman, dressed in all black, with dark hair that was tied up in braids in the back and bangs falling over her eyes, and the young, redheaded child she was tending to, who looked to be no more than four at the most. She had filled a small tub with water and was in the middle of bathing the boy, who seemed to love the water more than he didn't want his bath.

"Are you tourists here for an audience with Lady Yuna?" asked Lulu, without looking up from her work. "You must know there are dozens of people every day with the same intention. Do you believe the high summoner has the time to meet with all of you?"

Wren was surprised by how little the woman held back, but such an answer was exactly what she had expected, anyway.

"We are here to see Yuna, but I wouldn't say we're exactly tourists…" she said. "I'm a sphere recorder from Luca, and I was hoping to interview Lady Yuna for a movie sphere I'm putting together about the pilgrimage. If she has no time for an interview, then I was hoping that at least she might know how to point me in the right direction."

This time Lulu looked up, trying her best to hold the squirming child still as he splashed in the water. "Lady Yuna's fiance has returned from Luca recently, and she will be spending most of her time with him until the blitzball season starts once again. She has no time for interviews or official statements, and has requested not to be involved in politics."

Wren looked to the others, fidgeting with her hands anxiously.

Merris spoke up. "You are Dame Lulu, aren't you? One of Lady Yuna's guardians? When we passed through Kilika Port, we stopped by the temple there as well. Wren here got some footage of the temple, spoke with the priest, who pointed us in the direction of a former summoner living in Kilika. Her name is Dona, and-"

"And you thought that mentioning the name of a former summoner here would get you an audience," said Lulu, shaking her head.

The child laughed, reaching his little fingers to grab Lulu's nose. "Mama, don't be mean."

"Hush, Vidina," Lulu said softly, her voice nasal as the child pinched her nose shut. She was smiling as she nudged his hand away from her face.

"Actually, we met someone else in Kilika too," said Merris, rubbing the back of his neck as he shook off her dismissal. "You know Mobius, the leader of Respira in Djose? When we visited the temple looking for him, he said that he had met with Lady Yuna, and that she gave him written permission to enter the temple's inner cloister."

Lulu's attention had been caught this time, and she clicked her tongue in distaste almost. "That man…"

"What about him?" asked Wren.

"Oh, it's nothing. Actually, when he arrived here in Besaid and requested to meet Yuna, I turned him down. Groups like those are exactly what Yuna is trying to avoid. They're so wrapped up in their own politics, and use people like her to solve their problems for them," said Lulu, lifting Vidina out of the water finally and wrapping him in a thick towel to dry him off. "But when I told Yuna, she herself asked to meet him, for some reason. When I asked why, she said 'something about him just interested her.'"

"He's definitely interesting," she added, frowning. "A man who uses no title in his group, yet marches around Spira unguarded, like he thinks the common people are quaint and precious. But apparently, the reason he came all the way out here from Djose was for some greater purpose he has an interest in. Whatever it was, Yuna allowed him into the temple, on the condition that he take care of the fiends inside."

"For the upkeep of the temple, right?" asked Wren, nodding eagerly. "He asked that I come with him in Kilika, for 'support.' I was there too."

"Were you?" asked Lulu, looking at her. "Well, no one forbade him from bringing anyone along to assist him, so it's just as well, I suppose. You don't seem like you're a part of that group of his, though."

"No, we aren't," said Twill, shaking their head. "We are only here for her interest in recording the history of the pilgrimage. It was just a coincidence that Mobius took an interest in her as well."

Lulu gave a short 'hmm,' looking down at her son once more, who was eager to get away already. She patted his shoulder, then held the towel up around him as she passed him his clothes to put on. "Get dressed, then you may go play. Just remember that if you come back covered in mud again, it will be back into the tub with you."

Vidina whined as he pulled his clothes on clumsily, with help from Lulu, then took off running the moment she put the towel away, darting between the legs of Wren and her companions to escape the hut.

Lulu stood up finally, stretching her back. She looked at the group again, taking a seat on the bed. "What did you see inside the temple, Wren from Luca?"

Wren blinked in surprise as the attention was turned back to her. She tilted her head as she thought of what to say. "There was a huge fiend inside the temple… Like the ones you see on the Highroad. Mobius took care of it himself… sort of. He summoned an aeon to fight for him…"

The woman's eyes went wide for a moment. "That should be impossible. The aeons of the temple Fayth were destroyed by us when Lady Yuna defeated Sin, to prevent any of them from being used by Yu Yevon to recreate Sin once again."

"It wasn't a temple aeon," said Wren, shaking her head. "It was something he created himself, he said."

"That is troubling," said Lulu, shaking her head once again. "...Perhaps you should tell Yuna this yourself. The implications are worrying, at the very least, but she will certainly want to hear what he's been up to."

"My husband will be in the temple, waiting for Yuna and Tidus to return from the inner part of the temple," said Lulu, getting to her feet. "Speak to him, and he will allow you inside."

"Thank you," said Wren, bowing deeply in respect. "I'll tell Lady Yuna as much as I can."

Lulu waved them along, smiling faintly. "Good luck with your work, as well."

When the three of them left the hut, they turned to each other, a little confused.

"What was it she said about the aeons, and Yevon?" asked Merris.

"I don't know, I didn't really understand that part either," said Wren, frowning.

"They destroyed the aeons… They didn't just disappear," said Twill. "But I don't know what she meant about Yu Yevon, and Sin. Is that how Sin returned every time it was defeated?"

"I have a feeling this isn't information we're supposed to have," mumbled Merris, shaking his head.

"I've sort of been feeling like that ever since Mobius summoned his aeon," said Wren, laughing nervously. "Let's just carry on like we have been… If it's anything to be worried about, then Lady Yuna will take care of it."

They seemed to agree between themselves silently as they moved towards the temple. They hadn't really been worried before, but Lulu's no nonsense attitude made them feel like they should have been. Hardly out of the gate and they were already in unfamiliar and potentially dangerous territory.

When they entered the temple, there was a man standing beside the Cloister's entrance, a little on the heavy side, but he certainly didn't look like a member of the clergy, with his overalls and unusual hairstyle. It was a brighter red, but it did somewhat resemble the color of Vidina's hair, however.

"Sorry, but are you Dame Lulu's husband?" asked Wren, approaching him. "She said to come speak to you about seeing Lady Yuna."

"Lulu sent you?" asked the man, raising an eyebrow. "She's very picky about who gets to see Yuna. How come she chose you?"

"You're Sir Wakka?" she asked. "I told her about an incident that happened when I met Mobius, who was here a couple of days ago, and she told me that Lady Yuna should be informed, and that I could find you here."

Wakka scratched at the slight, stubbly goatee he had, crinkling his nose while he thought. "Yeah… I remember him. Doesn't surprise me that someone in charge of a group like that might have something shady going on, but it's nothing I keep up with anymore. If Lu sent you to talk to Yuna, then I guess you'd better go in."

"Just like that?" asked Wren, blinking.

Wakka nodded, putting his hands on his hips. "Sure. I don't mean to brag, but I like to think I'm pretty good at telling when I'm being lied to. 'Specially when it comes to my family. You go on in. Just don't cause any trouble, or you'll have to deal with those two."

Wren thanked him, before moving into the Cloister of Trials.

It was still surprising to be allowed inside, but some of the charm had worn off since her last experience. At least Twill and Merris were here this time as well, even though Twill balked somewhat, feeling out of place. Merris had no such qualms, walking casually behind Wren.

It didn't take long to find the high summoner and her fiance, either. They were inside the Chamber of the Fayth, which was a little closer to the entrance than the one in Kilika had been, Wren noted.

The couple looked awfully confused about the arrival of three strangers inside the Cloister of Trials, something that wasn't normally allowed, however.

"Lady Yuna!" said Wren, bowing. It actually felt a little strange, meeting the woman she looked up to so much, in such a situation that she had to appear apologetic for entering the sacred grounds of the temple. "Your guardians sent me to speak to you. I'm sorry to bother you."

She looked up at her from where she was bowing, then stood up. There was Yuna, looking almost the same as she had when she began her pilgrimage. Her hair was long now, longer than it had been when Wren had seen her in recordings, and even when she had filmed the concert she put on in Luca stadium only a couple of years earlier.

Yuna looked a little embarrassed at Wren's display, looking to the man beside her, who had medium length dirty blond hair, tied back with a red bandana. Wren recognized him as Sir Tidus.

"Hey, aren't you that camera girl from Luca?" he asked, putting his hands on his hips and tilting his head at her.

"Oh!" Wren rubbed at her cheek, eyes wide for a moment as she laughed with surprise. "Sorry-yeah, that's me. I'm Wren, I work at the stadium. I didn't think you'd remember me…"

"Sure, I've seen you in the wings before games before. What are you doing here?" asked Tidus.

"It's the off season, so I'm taking some time off too," she said, laughing quietly. "I'm making a movie sphere about the summoners, so I'm doing a little research. Traveling, talking to people… You know? I'm not very good at defending myself though, so I brought these two along. This is Twill, and Merris."

Wren shook her head quickly. "Oh, but that isn't actually why I'm here now . I mentioned that to Dame Lulu and she was going to turn me away. She told me to come here because I ran into Mobius in Kilika. I'm supposed to tell you about what happened when I met him, Lady Yuna."

Yuna looked at Wren now. "Me? What happened?"

"Well, when I went to Kilika, I met him on the second day I was there, when I was supposed to depart to come here, but he invited me to go with him into the temple, to… Take care of the fiends, like you asked him," she said, nodding. "There weren't many, but when we found one, it was pretty big. I mentioned that I'm not really much of a fighter, so he did most of the work, but he summoned an aeon of his own to do it."

Yuna's expression was stunned for a moment, as she looked at the floor. "It can't be… Has he created more aeons?"

"He told me himself that his organization has more of them, with people willing to give their lives for their cause," she said. "But… When I spoke to Dame Lulu, she said something about destroying the aeons, to… protect them from Yu Yevon?"

"She did?" asked Yuna. "She must be worried too… I gave him permission to enter the temple, but I didn't know they would do such a thing… I'm not sure what to think of this. Creating an aeon is… complicated. The aeon must be created from someone who gives their life willingly… But I'm sure you already know that."

"This isn't exactly common knowledge, but Sin was actually a summon, created by Yu Yevon, the most powerful summoner of his time," said Yuna, frowning. "Each time a summoner used their final aeon to defeat Sin, the spirit of Yu Yevon would possess the aeon, and use it to kill the summoner. Then, from that aeon, it created a new Sin, to protect itself. That is why the final summon was so dangerous, and why I had to find a way to do it without giving Sin a chance to be reborn from someone who gave their life to defeat it."

Wren's expression fell. "That's why Sin always came back?"

"Afraid so," said Tidus. "My old man, Jecht, was Braska's guardian, and he became his final aeon… And Sin, after that. The last one."

"...I'm not supposed to know any of this, am I?" asked Wren, glancing to the other two beside her with her eyes.

"No, but as long as you already have part of the truth, you'll have questions." said Yuna, shaking her head. "...You probably shouldn't tell anyone what you know about Mobius either. If it isn't public information, it might be dangerous. I would never order anyone to stay silent, but be very careful about who you tell these things to from now on."

Twill, Wren, and Merris glanced at each other with uncertainty, then nodded.

"What about Respira?" asked Merris. "I have a sister in Djose… It's been a while since I've heard from her. I don't think she's in any danger… Or, I didn't, until this started. I don't know how involved with Respira she is, but if this is what they're up to…"

"You're worried about her," said Yuna, nodding understandingly. "...I don't know. I don't know enough to know what should be done about it, if anything. I'll keep an eye out for their activities… And if you hear anything on your travels, I hope you'll keep in touch."

"I don't want to end up wrapped up in all of this, but if the people in this room are the only ones who know about it, something might be coming," she said, frowning. "Can I count on you to keep me updated? I'm not asking you to involve yourselves… Just to keep open ears."

"If we hear anything, we'll definitely write," said Wren.

"You can use the CommSphere," said Yuna. "A couple of years ago, I was traveling on an airship with a kid who's pretty much a genius. He invented a communicator using a sphere, so you can see and hear anyone using the CommSphere instantly. We put them up around Spira, but most of them were lost or destroyed. I still have a spare, though, so you can have that one, and contact me if you find anything."

"Really?" asked Wren. "That's pretty incredible. A kid built something like that? How old is he?"

"Well, he's only a little younger than you now, actually," said Yuna, laughing. "But it is pretty amazing. Sometimes I sneak off to go back to the airship for a little while at a time. It's a lot of fun. He's still inventing, but the CommSphere is still precious to me."

"You should tell her about what happened after Mobius summoned," said Twill, nudging Wren gently.

Yuna glanced up. "Did something else happen?"

"Sort of…" said Wren, rolling her head to the side. She was going to leave this part out, but… "After the fiend was defeated, these pyreflies appeared. They didn't look like the regular ones that show up when a fiend disappears, it was a cluster of them, and it attacked us. Just a cluster of pyreflies. It hit me, and I went into shock, then spent the rest of the day unconscious. There's not a lot to it, actually. I'm better now."

"Pyreflies…?" asked Yuna, frowning. "I've seen something like that before, yes. Are you sure you feel alright? Nothing weird has happened to you since then? Gaps in your memory? Sleep walking? Anything?"

"No, nothing like that. After I slept for a while, all I had left to worry about was the bruises I got from pushing Mobius out of the way," said Wren, shaking her head.

"It's probably not the same, then. What I saw was… A vengeful spirit that could possess the body of a living person," said Yuna. "He was responsible for the deaths of many people, and at one point it even affected me, and the girls I was working with at the time. But you must know better than I could what's happened to you. If you haven't felt any of that, then it wouldn't be the same. Still, I hope you feel better."

Wren smiled warmly. "I'm fine, thank you. I really don't think it's a vengeful spirit." But now that Lady Yuna had put the idea in her mind, it was going to bother her.

After chatting for a few moments longer, they parted ways, the three of them leaving the temple and leaving the high summoner and her guardian to their own devices. They checked into the Inn, and set their things aside for the night. Lady Yuna had promised to give them the CommSphere after the night's bonfire, and even gave a few words for Wren's film, to her surprise.

That night, Wren looked at Merris for a few moments as he settled down into the bed provided for him. She hadn't known that he had a sister. There was probably a lot about her companions she didn't know. Merris had assured her that he didn't think the person he was looking for was in any danger, but Wren was sure he had been talking about the same person.

Yuna wasn't some wisewoman who could tell them exactly how to solve all of their problems, Wren knew that. They would have to be the ones to find out what was going on in Djose, since it would have to be their first stop in a real town for a while, after they passed back through Luca.

Before that would be the Highroad. And then… Mushroom Rock, of course. Chocobo use had extended a bit beyond the Highroad, since Djose expanded, and they wouldn't have to spend much time there, but even though she'd only seen the place once before, it made her nervous.

Wren's dreams were made of rose-colored neon, and tasted like unfamiliar sea salt air. She was sure she had been afraid the night before, but this time it brought her peace.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **This is going to be the last update of 2017, haha. I thought I was going to struggle with this chapter, but once I sat down to do it, the words just started flowing.**

 **I don't know if you can tell, but as much as I disliked the audio drama, I did really like the design sketches of Yuna and Tidus from around this time, so I used the same designs. I can't wait to get to this chapter for illustrations, so I have an excuse to draw them.**


	9. Mi'ihen Highroad

Wren wasn't quite as eager to get moving as she thought she'd be. Thankfully, she'd slept pretty heavily at night since her accident, but she had a few things on her mind. Confronting Mushroom Rock's coast was one of them. Even if they crossed the trail when the tide was in, and the beach was nowhere to be seen, Wren would be able to feel its chill as she passed the site of Operation Mi'ihen. She put it out of her mind for the time being; they wouldn't reach Mi'ihen for at least a day, so she really had no reason to worry, at least for now. She came back to reality once she started moving about in the inn, without time to linger.

She packed her things, taking extra care to make sure the CommSphere that Lady Yuna had gifted her was kept safe inside her bag. It would come in handy once they reached Djose, but Wren was hopeful that she would have good news to relay to Yuna, if only to ease her fears. Mobius had seemed nice, at the time, but without knowing much about him, the words of the others who had spoken of him cast a lot of doubt on his character. She needed to know more.

Merris got her attention as they started to leave the inn. He nudged her towards the village's entrance gently, pointing at someone ahead.

Yuna was standing at the gate, waving her arms gently to get their attention. Apart from those with business at the docks, it seemed the town wasn't full of early risers, but she had come to see them off herself.

Wren's mood lightened as they walked out to greet her.

"Lady Yuna, you're seeing us off?" asked Wren.

"It's really the least I can do, since I asked so much of you," said Yuna, shaking her head. "I'd love to walk with you to the beach, at least."

"You mean the CommSphere?" asked Wren. "We were going to Djose already, of course. It's no trouble."

Yuna smiled softly, then gestured for the others to continue walking with her towards the beach. "I don't know about that. It sounds like you might end up with your hands full, if you get involved with Respira. I only hope you don't get into trouble because of me."

Merris shrugged his shoulders just a little. "Well, as long as I have to find my sister. She has a shop in Djose, where she sells, ah… jewelry, and her own art.. But, since I haven't heard from her recently, that's part of why I'm here. I think they might have something to do with it."

Yuna looked up at him as they walked, concern on her face. "Do you think she's in danger?"

Merris frowned. "I… don't know. The thing about Djose, Respira, and the former machine faction is that we coincide with each other, but we don't really mix. Respira is… another kind of Yevonism, basically. Of course, there are Al Bhed Yevonites, but… My sister isn't that kind of person."

"She's pretty crafty, so does repair work as well. Tune-ups, trinkets, even helping out with construction at times, so she has a reason to mingle with them," said Merris, shaking his head. "But I'm not worried about her doing anything like laying down her life to offer them power. I don't know what to expect."

"I'm sorry," said Yuna, frowning. "I really hope she's doing alright."

"Yeah, I do too," said Merris. "I just wanted to say that if anything happens, it won't be on your shoulders. It sounds like we're plenty good at getting into trouble on our own."

"Oh, I see," she said, nodding.

"It seems that way, doesn't it?" agreed Twill, with a nervous laugh. "I think we'll be just fine."

From that point the conversation turned lighter, putting them at ease. Yuna was doing more listening than talking, but she did seem to enjoy their company. At least, Wren hoped so.

When they reached the dock, the boat was already there. There were a few other passengers boarding the ferry, a couple of the tourists from the previous day among them, but it was still a quiet morning.

Yuna waved goodbye to them. "Please call me if you find anything. Or, if you need anything. I can't do much from here, but I'll do my best to offer support."

"Thank you!" called Wren, nodding to her from the deck. "This is more than I could have asked for. I hope I have good news to give you, but I'll be sure to let you know if anything happens."

"I wish you well on your journey," said Yuna, smiling. "Good luck!"

The ship's horn sounded as they started to move, and Wren grinned, waving frantically at Yuna as the ship started to pull out of the docks to keep from shouting "you too!" back.

She waved back at Yuna until they were several meters away, sailing away from the port. She could see Yuna start to turn away at last, and they all did the same. Once again, they found themselves split between their preferred seating aboard the ferry.

* * *

Between travel, Wren got a little practice with Twill in Kilika, showing how her magic had improved. It was like it suddenly made sense to her, but she still only knew her basic spells. Twill was teaching her other elemental magic, and was very happy to do so. It seemed that with a proper conduit, she was almost a natural. Almost. She did lack discipline, and at times it led to her not having full control over her magic, but that was something that could be taught with time.

When they reached Luca, Wren didn't want to stop by her home on the way through. She had packed all she needed, and Twill was used to travel as it was. Merris, she had learned, also lived in Luca, but had been staying at the inn, earning his keep doing odd jobs. He had no difficulty leaving for the Highroad, either.

The crowd thinned as they stood at the stairs carved into the cliffs, that lead into the grassy lanes of the Mi'ihen Highroad. Besaid had been small and sleepy, but Luca at midday was loud, rough, and busy. Less so, with no events happening, but it was funny how there were so many fewer people so close to the town.

"The hover isn't running right now," said Merris, pursing his lips as he came back to the other two, shaking his head. He gestured over his shoulder at the inoperable machina. There was no one around, but nearby was a sign detailing the times rides back and forth across the Highroad were available. The sun was sinking in the sky. Soon, nightfall would bring its share of problems.

"I'm glad they're serious about rebuilding the chocobo population," said Wren, frowning a little. "I don't think we have time to wait here… If we can just make it to the Travel Agency in the middle of the Highroad, we can stop for the night…"

"It isn't far," agreed Twill. "At least, not by chocobo."

"It's too bad I don't have room for all of us to sleep at my home," mumbled Wren, shaking her head. "But I wanted to make a little more progress anyway. If we rent some chocobos, we can make it there just after the sun sets."

"It's already setting," said Merris, pointing at the sky. "We'd better hurry, if we want to rent. There's a stable nearby the Travel Agency too, but I don't want to walk all that way on foot. Not at night."

The kiosk wasn't too far from the hover. They spoke to the woman at the stable, who brought out a bird for each of them, supplied by Clasko's Chocobo Ranch, she'd said. She made sure they knew how to ride before sending them on their way.

Merris' bird had a tiny bit of an attitude, the woman had warned. He hadn't been concerned before, but now that she'd said that… His posture was odd as he approached the bird, and the chocobo seemed to notice this immediately. A low gurgle sounded in the chocobo's throat as he approached, tilting her head at him, her neck feathers ruffled.

"Good girl… Come on…" He stroked the chocobo's side, cooing softly in an attempt to calm her, then her neck, then placed a hand on her beak, a ballsy move for someone who was likely to be bitten.

"If you like, we could trade," offered Twill, watching him from their own chocobo.

Luckily, the bird gave a noise that almost seemed like a sigh of surrender, as if she realized he had no idea what he was doing, and she lowered herself for him to climb onto her back.

"I think she's warmed up to me," said Merris, grinning as he mounted the bird.

"I think she knows you don't know how to handle rowdy animals," said Twill, shaking their head with a laugh. "You're lucky to still have all your fingers. She was definitely about to bite you before you started talking."

"Hey, is it so hard to believe she could like me?" he said. "Look, we're friends now."

He stroked her neck, prompting a disgruntled croak from the bird, who apparently had resigned itself to an incompetent handler.

"Do you know how to ride?" asked Wren.

"Of course I do," said Merris, frowning. "That's the easy part. It's just… been a while."

When they finally got settled and started down the road, the sky was already dark.

"I think I misjudged how much time this would take," admitted Wren.

"It's alright. I think all of us have been through here at least once," Merris said. "I think we all misjudged it."

"It's been a while for me too," she said, nodding. "I haven't really left Luca since my mother died."

They were walking at a somewhat leisurely pace now that the sun had already set. Most fiends would be warded off by the presence of the chocobos, which could become vicious if attacked by smaller creatures that got a little too brave. Wren wasn't eager to run into another fiend like the one she'd seen in Kilika, but there were supposed to be fewer chocobo eaters around. The populations were being tightly controlled, but at least the fiends were being kept off the trails, and away from the travelers.

"What about you, Twill?" asked Wren. "You talked about yourself a little when we met, but…"

Twill looked surprised, glancing up for a second at the other two, who were looking at them expectantly between watching the path.

"Oh, well…" Twill trailed off, shrugging a little. "I don't know, I guess I could talk a little, but it's not a particularly happy story."

"We're full of unhappy stories lately," offered Merris. "I don't know if you told me anything, besides where you came from."

Twill tilted their head a little, shrugging in surrender. "Yes, I think you're right. I did make a point to bring it up to Wren, but I don't think I've said much about myself to you. There isn't much to say, though."

"To start with, I'm considered a deserter," said Twill, frowning. "Or at least, I was, when Seymour took over his father's leadership role. Everyone adjusted so quickly, even though there was a lot of talk about Lord Jyscal's half blood son. Admittedly, at the time, I was against the idea of someone other than a Guado leading the Guado, but that wasn't all, of course."

"His father's murder, right?" asked Merris.

"Yes, exactly. It was supposed to be kept under wraps, but I believe Yevon was aware of his betrayal," they said. "And all of us knew. The Farplane guard, that is. How could we not? We were proud, but we are horrible gossips. When your duty is to stand quietly and follow orders, you learn to listen, and news travels quickly."

"Knowing that, and the darkness in Seymour's heart, I chose to desert," said Twill, shrugging. "There are things that cannot be hidden from the Guado."

"The mark of an unsent is one of them," they said. "Even without training, we are more in tune with the Farplane than most of Spira. It comes with living so near to it. Jyscal was not among their numbers, but we could tell who within Yevon that passed through Guadosalam was. And when Seymour returned to us with that mark, we knew."

"After he took over?" asked Wren. "Is that why you left?"

"Um… sort of. I'm not very proud of it," said Twill, nodding despite their words. "But it isn't just that. No, just being unsent is hardly considered a crime. All that means is that one has such a strong tie to the realm of the living that they retain a corporeal form. Of course, that tie is usually anger, so that's usually where the issue lies. Those with nothing left to lose aren't exactly the best judges of right and wrong."

"No, it was just… fear. Yevon has had shady dealings for years. Much longer than I've been alive," said Twill. "I had no idea what was going on in Bevelle. I didn't want to. And I didn't want to be responsible for Seymour's decisions."

Twill stopped talking for a few moments, and was now using the light of the moon to guide them across the trail. It was lucky the moon was so bright even though it was low in the sky, or else they would need much better lighting to guide them. The stars looked like they were following a trail of their own, spread out in swirling patterns across the sky, if one connected them with their mind's eye.

"Though, it has been some time since I've actually been home," said Twill. "I have heard different things, and avoided Guadosalam entirely when passing through, so… I don't know much about my current standings, although I'm not eager to test them. I've heard that the palace was taken by a sphere hunter who opened a shelter of sorts, and I've also heard that the palace has fallen back into the hands of the Guado."

"Should we avoid going through Guadosalam?" asked Wren, tilting her head. "They're not looking for you, are they?"

"I don't know what would happen if I returned," said Twill, frowning. "That is probably the best idea. I know the way around, but it would take us through the forest. It would probably be easier for all three of us to go through, since the city is underground, it bypasses the forest entirely, but…"

"I don't want to risk it, if we don't have to," said Wren. "We'll have to make do with the safest choice."

The light of the Travel Agency was a welcome sight. The moon was climbing higher in the night sky now, and they could tell they'd stayed out much later than they'd meant to, unfortunately. They took the chocobos to the stable themselves, then went inside.

Inside, there was only one person sitting in a chair behind the counter, looking as if she'd fall asleep any second herself. They were directed to their room, and they fell into the beds, Twill and Wren in one, Merris in the other.

"Let's sleep in tomorrow," said Merris, groaning just a little. "I'm all for early rising, but we need to get our rest too."

"Sounds good to me," agreed Wren, lying face down in her pillow. She lifted her head. "I really thought the Travel Agency was closer to Luca than that."

"We all did," said Twill. "At least we made it."

"Yeah, if it was any farther, we might have had to camp outside tonight," said Wren, snuggling into her pillow. "I was ready for camping, but I'm glad we get to sleep in actual beds."

"We should get to sleep, this might be the last chance we have for a while to sleep in a real bed," said Merris, chucking a small pillow in their direction playfully. "And I'm tired."

The three of them fell into a heavy sleep, exhausted after staying out longer than they anticipated after spending the day traveling.

Wren was still thinking about what her companions had said, between Merris and his sister, and Twill's past. They definitely needed to take care of Merris' sister first, then they would worry about how to avoid the underground city. She didn't have time to dwell on it though, finding herself falling asleep before she realized it.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Happy New Year! I'm at PAX right now (also it's almost 6am, I woke up too early and am not actually at PAX This Second) and I'm having a lot of fun. I finally got to wear my Yuna cosplay to a real con and I got stopped for a few photos throughout the day. I really hope I can find pictures, cause I took a bunch myself but there's one someone took that I really want to see how it turned out ;;**


	10. Mushroom Rock

Morning brought a surprising amount of chatter from the main lobby area of the Travel Agency.

Wren tiredly wandered into the lobby, trying to find the source of the noise.

There was a very small crowd forming, from travelers and others who had spent the night at the inn, forming around one man. Wren recognized him as the Travel Agency's owner and business mogul, Rin. She didn't know much about him, except that he used to own the majority of the inns around Spira, but most had been bought out when he lost interest in that venture, save for a handful of them. The one they were staying in currently, on the Mi'ihen Highroad, was one of the ones still owned by him.

He was more popular than she'd realized, she guessed. He seemed good natured enough, chatting and laughing with the small group. She didn't know what they were talking about, as listening closer she realized that about half of the conversation was in Al Bhed, which she unfortunately only understood a little of. It took a lot of thinking to be able to understand it by ear, and when it was written, she wasn't much better. At the rate they were speaking, she had already fallen hopelessly behind.

She heard a noise behind her, and when she looked over her shoulder, she saw Merris had been woken up by the noise as well, likely.

"Good morning," she said, humming just a little.

"It's almost noon, isn't it?" asked Merris. "Hope they're not trying to get rid of us."

"If it's that late, we should get going anyway," laughed Wren.

Merris gave a small snort, shaking his head. "How did all this racket not wake up Twill?"

Wren shrugged at that, not sure herself. At this point, she was still listening to Rin and the others speak.

"Dryd umt syh rych'd paah ynuiht mydamo. Ra icat du fyhtan eh yht uid uv dra [Agency] ymm dra desa, pid ed ryc paah xieda cusa desa cehla yhouha cyf res," said one person. The current desk clerk, Wren guessed.

"Ur? Ed ec bnupypmo vun dra paddan dryd fa tuh'd ahluinyka muedanehk... E ryja caah res fyhtanehk ynuiht [Spira] pavuna druikr, ev oui yna funneat ypuid res," replied Rin, somewhat passively.

"What are they talking about?" Wren asked softly, glancing up at Merris.

"Hm? Something about an old man. Must be a regular here. I think they're just talking business," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I wasn't really listening."

Wren gave a small hum, placing a hand on her hip. "Whatever it is, I guess I'm awake now."

"Yeah, I don't think I'm going to get back to sleep," said Merris, shrugging. "Might as well stay out here and let Twill sleep a while longer."

They moved to the table near the front, Wren taking one seat, and Merris taking the other while the employees chatted with Rin behind them.

"I guess it's fine that they woke us up. If they hadn't, I probably would have stayed asleep even longer," said Wren, laughing quietly. "Plus, I keep having these weird dreams…"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, they've been on and off, but ever since Kilika, I keep dreaming about this city on the ocean, and it's glowing so brightly that you can hardly see the stars," said Wren. "The first time it happened, in my dream I was on a boat that was steering itself towards the city, and I felt like if I got out of the boat, something scary might happen. Like someone was going to take me away the second I set foot outside of it. But since then, it hasn't been so bad."

"That is a little weird," murmured Merris, nodding. "I hope you're not losing sleep because of it."

"Not really. I exhausted myself at the temple; if anything I've been sleeping more since then," she said. She paused for a second, then nodded her head slightly in the direction of the conversation behind her. "Well, mostly anyway."

"It hasn't really been as scary as the first time it happened," she added. "I think I just have a lot on my mind."

"That's probably it," he said. "Between being unconscious for basically a full day, and all of this, it wouldn't surprise me if the stress was getting to you. I'm not an expert or anything though."

As Wren started to agree, Twill appeared from the back, looking a little groggy as they spotted the two of them sitting at the table.

"Noon already?" they asked, suppressing a yawn.

"We were just thinking about leaving you behind if you slept any later," teased Merris, placing his chin in his palm. "Good thing you showed up when you did."

"Ha ha," said Twill, rolling their eyes. "It's getting late in the day to leave already. Unless you want to stay here another day, we're probably going to have to camp outside tonight."

"Yeah, you're right. We should get moving," said Wren, huffing. "I'm not really looking forward to it, but I don't want to wait around here anymore. I knew I'd have to sleep outside at some point, if I made this happen."

They went back to their room to get their things, then made their way outside to the stable. They spoke to the worker to retrieve their chocobos, and then were back on the road.

When night started to fall, they were about halfway through the path carved into the side of the rock. It was getting late, and both the birds and their riders were tired.

They tied the chocobos leads so they wouldn't run away, then set up camp for the night on the trail. It could prove to be dangerous to stray far from the trail, with the fiends out. They kept this in mind as they set up, unpacking rationed food to cook over the fire they'd built.

The road itself was covered by the sturdy cliff above, and in that enclosed space, it was dark, apart from the fire. The view of the sea from where Wren sat, however, was illuminated by the moon. She looked out over it as she fed the chocobos their share of the greens they'd purchased from the stable. The humid sea air was calming, at the very least.

She'd been brought here when her mother had died, that was how she knew. The rising tide had carried everything away after the monks from Bevelle recovered the bodies they could find, and now the only thing that she could see in the sand was dead seaweed, and the driftwood that washed up from the ocean. Nothing that set it apart from any other beach in Spira.

But Wren had seen it after it happened. It had only been six years earlier. She had been twelve, not so young that it would tear her life apart, but it wasn't long enough that she had stopped feeling the impact of what had happened. She hadn't been there when it happened, or else she might not be alive, but she had come with the clergy to identify her mother's body before the victims were sent.

"You seem like you have a lot on your mind," said Twill. Looking over at her. They were setting up over the fire, helping to get their meal ready. "You've got a dark cloud hanging over you."

Wren's shoulders relaxed, and she sighed again, still stroking the chocobo's feathers as it ate. "I'm just thinking."

"About what?"

"My mother, uh…" she started, frowning. "She was a recorder for the monks in Bevelle. Wherever they went, we went too. But… you know where we are, right? She was there, recording, when they partnered with the Al Bhed for Operation Mi'ihen."

"...Oh," murmured Twill.

"Yeah," said Wren. "They… said she was probably hit by flying debris, or that Sin's toxin got to her first, before the water started rising, something. I don't know… I'm still angry. At the time, I blamed Yevon, because I thought they should have known that the plan wouldn't work, and I lost my mother because of it-a lot of people lost family because of it."

"I know now," she said, shaking her head. "They had to know. After word came out about Yevon's corrupt politics, I knew. It was just to keep us from suspecting them. I'm still torn about it. I still believe, but not in them… It's what I knew. Is that bad?"

"That's difficult to answer… I don't think it's bad to believe in something," said Twill, thinking. "Yevon has a dangerous history of manipulating people… I don't know what's fact or not anymore myself, and I'm certified as a sender."

Wren frowned. "Yevon was pretty awful, wasn't it?"

"Sometimes," said Twill.

Merris nodded vigorously, making a face.

"I guess what I really believe in is the real people who stood up to fight Sin," said Wren, thinking. She pet the chocobo's neck, still frowning. "The high summoners are so few and far between that there aren't many records on them anymore… And they're probably tailored to whatever Yevon wants us to see, if there are any. But they were real people, who wanted the best for Spira."

"That is something," agreed Twill.

"Better than believing in the church," added Merris.

Wren made a noise of agreement, then went to sit beside the fire with them, sitting on her bedroll. She took a piece of the dried meat, nibbling at it while she looked at the ocean.

"I didn't mean for this to get any deeper than it already was," she admitted. "I was just… thinking about my mother, and her last sphere."

Twill glanced up at that, frowning. "What was on it?"

"...Not a whole lot," said Wren. "It's… dark. The beginning of it is just people working. Setting up machina, rallying together, whatever. Preparations. After it starts, you can see for a few seconds, but it looks how it does before a big storm comes. And then you see Sin, rising out of the water in the distance, but just for a second. After that, there's no picture. It's just… static. And the audio is garbled, you can't hear anything, but it's better that way."

"I guess the equipment doesn't work around Sin?" asked Merris.

"I guess not," she said. "I'm probably not supposed to have it, if Yevon had bothered retrieving it from her. To be honest, if it was real footage of what happened during the operation, I would have destroyed it. I don't want to think about it. I just kept it because it belonged to her."

"I would have destroyed it," admitted Twill. "If it were mine."

Wren nodded slightly, looking back down at her hands for a minute.

Merris put his arms behind him for support, leaning back. "Yevon has kind of screwed all three of us over, hasn't it? I mean, everyone's got something, but it seems like we're just unlucky."

Twill and Wren murmured in agreement.

"We should figure out how who's going to take the first watch," said Twill. "We're not far from the trail, so there should be fewer fiends, but it's better to be safe."

"I'll go first," offered Wren.

"I guess I'll take the next one," said Merris.

"I didn't expect you to be so enthusiastic about this," said Twill, laughing quietly. "I'll take the last one, then."

Wren smiled weakly. "I don't think I'll be getting to sleep for a while. I feel better, but I've still got some things to think about."

Merris nodded a bit. "Just wake me up whenever you need to sleep."

They started to settle in, finishing their meal in silence. Wren went to sit near the chocobos where they were nestled beside each other. While the other two rested beside the dying fire.

She looked at the sea once again, sighing. At least she felt a little more at ease, after opening up. Once they passed through Mushroom Rock to Djose, she'd be alright after literally putting the past behind her.

The other two fell asleep quickly, unsurprisingly. Wren hoped Twill didn't mind getting an early start, but at least they weren't far from town now. Once they made it to Djose, supposedly they were invited to a warm bed by Mobius, though she wondered what her current standing was with him now.

Mobius had been friendly when they met, but thinking about it, the way he'd vanished on her after her accident was odd. Either way, whether they were welcome or not, they had little choice, if they wanted to find Merris' sister. Wren wanted to know what was going on with Mobius, and Respira, too.

It seemed like all of their problems were leading them to Djose.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **It's been a bit since I posted an update, cause I wanted to catch up on art a little more before I posted a new chapter. No one is telling me to do the chapter illustrations but it's a fun project for me, haha. (In addition to the chapter illustrations I've got a bunch of commissions right now though, so that accounts for some of the time lost too.)**

 **Anyway, the Al Bhed can be put directly into the translator if you're really curious about what it says, I won't be including too many full conversations in Al Bhed and if it's important, I'll certainly provide translations, so don't worry about that.**

 **All of that said I've finished chapter 6's illustration recently, and there's a couple drawings of Wren and her mom in my gallery now. She's not going to be a particularly important character or anything, since she's dead, but I ended up giving her a design and a name, haha.**


	11. Djose

They left the following morning to make the rest of the trip past the end of the trail, where the road forked and lead to the old Djose temple, which was no longer open to the public, after the machine faction had disbanded. They returned their birds to the stable that had been posted near the path to the temple, noticing as the scenery went from cold cliffsides to soft, marshy land as they got closer to the water.

The temple came into view as they walked, crossing over the bridges that led to the landmark. The massive slabs of rock around the temple were almost always floating around the top, in an impressive display of light and electricity. It was previously thought that the phenomenon was caused by the prayer of the summoners inside the chamber of the Fayth, which wasn't too far from the truth, but it turned out to be the massive amounts of energy from the Farplane, or the temple's aeon itself, that caused it. Once this was figured out, someone had the idea to use it to power the town, presumably the remaining Al Bhed from the Machine Faction.

It was quite a sight, one that Wren had never seen before, but it was marked with various colorful signs, signalling to keep out, and pointing to the direction of the actual town of Djose.

"It used to be open, when the Machine Faction was here," said Merris. "It's being used as a power source now, so I can understand why they want to keep people out."

Twill pointed to the converted Travel Agency nearby. "It looks like the office is still open, however. Maybe there's someone there who has an idea about your sister?"

Merris nodded his head. "Yeah, I hope so. She's pretty well known around town, but whether or not anyone knows what she's up to now is the question…"

The person inside the office was an older man, built sturdily, with a scraggly beard and teensie glasses perched on his nose. He was fiddling with a compact looking machine, about as big as a large dog.

"Do you know my sister, Tana?" asked Merris. "I've kept in contact with her through letters for a while, but she hasn't answered in about a month. Do you know where I can find her?"

The man scratched his beard, thinking for a few moments. "Yeah, I know her. She's a real help around here, but it's been a while since I've seen her, now that you mention it. You might have more luck asking someone around town, though. I spend most of my time here, so I don't see too much."

"We just got here, so we were heading there next," said Merris. "Thanks for the help anyway."

"Well I hope you find her, it would be a shame if anything happened to her," said the man, tinkering with the machine once more. "She's a nice girl. Real good at organizing people, y'know. Likes to give orders, maybe, but she's got a good strong head on her shoulders."

Merris thanked him and the group wandered back outside, looking towards the path that had been cut around the right side of the temple, leading through the middle of the town.

"I guess the town is that way," said Wren, looking at the sign posted beside the temple.

They could already see an impressive looking structure from where they were standing, what looked to be the center square of the town.

"Have either of you been here before?" asked Wren, as they started down the path.

"Yeah me and my sister both used to live here but I've been on my own for a while, and we kept in contact through letters, like I said," Merris answered, frowning. "I used to be part of the Machine Faction, but since it disbanded I've been doing my own thing."

"I've… only been here once," said Twill. "It was very small then, so I haven't seen it since it was just starting out, and I didn't stay long. I'm interested to see what's changed, I suppose."

"That reminds me, what sort of person is your sister? I guess she's not the kind of person to just stop responding if you were worried about her," said Twill.

"No, she's really not. Even if she hadn't responded in a while, she'd definitely send something back if I said I was worried about her," he said, shaking her head. "She's very responsible."

"I can see why you're worried then," they said.

The buildings in the town had some obvious wear, but still looked new, the majority of the structures having been constructed in the two years since Djose had been established as its own town. Mobius seemed to be in charge, but from what Merris said, Tana was the unofficial heart and soul of the town. She was the one who organized public events, and had even started a weekly event where crafters and other non merchant types could sell their wares on the grounds on the south side of the town. She seemed to be very busy, aiding with construction on top of that.

Mobius seemed to mostly manage Respira's activity, whatever that was, Wren guessed.

There was a very large building in the center of the town. Wren had been able to see it from the temple, but it wasn't until they were closer that she could get a good look at it.

"This is where Mobius lives," said Merris, pointing at the large structure.

It was made of a material that almost appeared to be glass, but given that the area was prone to bad storms a few times a year during certain seasons, it seemed to be in remarkably good shape. Whatever it was made of must have been of magical origin.

Wren was in awe of his home more than anything. How much influence did this man have, to have such a large home that shone so brightly? He must have been more important than she'd thought before she became aware of who he was.

Was that good or bad? She didn't know. It didn't sound very good.

"When I spoke to Mobius he said we'd have a place to stay with him if we visited," said Wren. "He was acting a little weird at the temple, but I think the offer still stands."

"I think we should stay away from him, but we don't really have a choice," said Merris, frowning. "My sister has done enough for this town that I feel like he might know what happened to her, at least enough to know that something has happened at all."

"He certainly seems to have plenty of room to spare," said Twill, gesturing up at the building. "It will save us the cost of staying at an inn. If we don't find anything and have to move on, the next inn outside of town is on the other side of the Moonflow, so it would be wise to stop here either way."

The fortress seemed to be the center of the town, with everything else built around it. In this market circle, there were many other hubs for recreation and gathering, even an inn, and in the streets out in front of the shops were merchant stalls. Towards the south side facing the cliffs, there was a gap in the buildings, allowing a clear view of the sea from the balcony. This was also where the vendors would gather once a week, so colorful little tents would be put out for the day, but as they stood in front of one of the corner doors of the cathedral-esque mansion, there was nothing there but an empty field.

Wren knocked on the door apprehensively.

"Is anyone home?" she asked softly.

A strange ringing sound was heard, to her surprise, and she jumped away from the wall, which seemed to be the source of the sing-songy static. "What is that?"

"Look, isn't this like the thing Lady Yuna gave to you?" asked Twill, pointing.

They were right, set into the wall appeared to be almost the same device as the Commsphere given to her by the summoner. "Is it...?"

"Who is this? Wren, is that you?" asked Mobius' voice from the sphere. "I'm glad to see you're doing well. Please come in. Forgive me for not greeting you in person."

Wren opened the door and looked around. It wasn't overly gaudy as it was expected, instead stylish, if a little cold. Not as well lived in as the smaller homes she was accustomed to. At the very least it was obvious that the designer had a strong sense of aesthetic. They were standing in a large reception area, almost like a ballroom, and she wondered if he held public events here as well. This might have even been where the people would meet, on certain occasions.

She didn't see Mobius, however, but a few minutes later he did appear, stepping down the stairs from the second floor corridor that went around the room and seemed to lead to the balcony.

"There you all are," said Mobius. "Wren, I'm glad you've recovered already from your ordeal."

"Oh, yeah…" said Wren, rubbing at her arm, a little embarrassed. She was getting a kind of weird feeling, but she wasn't sure she should feel that way about him. After all, he was the one who took her back to her friends when she was injured. "Yeah, I'm fine now. I slept for about a day afterwards, but I made it through it."

"It was very strange, that thing that attacked you," said Mobius, murmuring in approval. "But you must be quite strong to have recovered so quickly."

He continued. "Anyway, you've finally made it to Djose. Can I help you with anything?"

"Actually, I'm just looking for my sister," said Merris, pointing to himself with his thumb. "Do you know where Tana is?"

"Ah, you're her younger brother," said Mobius. He tilted his head slightly, frowning. "No, I haven't seen her recently. I will offer any assistance I can to help find her, though."

"Aren't the townspeople worried about her too?" asked Merris, frowning. "Shouldn't you already be looking for her?"

"I hadn't realized she was missing," admitted Mobius. "At least, not until recently. She does go off on her own occasionally to procure materials for her work-you must know that. Sometimes it can be days before she's seen again, if she has the time. I assumed she was on one of these excursions, but enough time has passed without anyone hearing from her, that it would be difficult not to be worried."

"Yeah, I knew that," said Merris, backing down. "I waited a bit too, before I started getting worried and started looking for a reason to set out to find her…"

"I doubt the others in town will have much more to offer," said Mobius, thinking. "If you want to find her, my best guess would be… to ask around places she frequents, and then if nothing turns up, I would start moving towards Guadosalam."

Wren glanced at Twill when he said that, and she could see in their eyes that they were hesitant to do so, but they didn't say anything.

"What's in Guadosalam?" asked Wren, looking between the other two for a moment.

"Tana is… pretty good at making things," said Merris, thinking. "She makes and sells her own jewelry, and works with some other more exotic materials making sculptures and stuff as a hobby, so… She's got to get those materials somehow."

"As close as we are to the Moonflow, we trade with Guadosalam frequently," said Mobius. "Our two towns have helped each other a lot since our establishment, and Guadosalam is starting to again become the cultural hub it once was. Tana is part of the reason we were able to establish trade with the Guado, so I'm sure that's where she would have been headed."

"We'll ask for clues around town, and probably head there next?" suggested Wren, looking up at Merris.

"Yeah," he said. "I'm sure someone will have some idea. If not… well, there are still a few hours left in the day, enough to cover the town, and… we can leave in the morning."

They agreed, Twill somewhat reluctantly.

Wren looked back to Mobius. "Oh, and I hope this doesn't sound too rude, but when I mentioned my research before, you said that when we arrived, you would give us a place to stay for the night. Is that offer still open?"

Mobius, who had been following the conversation silently while they discussed their options, nodded. "Yes, of course. I will show you to your rooms when you come back from your search. You're welcome to dine with me as well, but if you don't make it back in time, then I'll have something waiting for you anyway. Good luck with your search."

The three thanked him, then split up to cover the town, working from the inner circle out.

Wren worked east, asking around the market first, then the inn, then began checking some of the shops.

When the three of them met up again, the sun had already gone down, the search winding down as the town went to sleep. They were all three quiet, but looked eager to discuss it with each other as they looked between each other when they met up once more inside Mobius' mansion.

After they ate, they were shown to their individual rooms. Mobius gave them free reign to look around, pointing out rooms of interest to them, should they want to explore for themselves, then took his leave of them to settle down for the night. Despite that, they all three settled inside Merris' room to talk.

"I didn't find anything," said Merris, shaking his head. "Everyone with anything useful to say told me the same thing Mobius did. It doesn't seem like anyone knows where she is."

"Me either," said Wren.

"I know she wouldn't disappear on her own without saying anything," he said. "But no one knows where she is. They can't all be lying, so something else must have happened."

"Maybe," said Twill, frowning. "But what do you think it could be? We still have one option: to move towards Guadosalam, and ask anyone there for help, if they've seen her."

"I… don't know if we'll find her there," admitted Merris. "If no one can say for sure that's where she went, then I'm not sure this is one of her trips. I feel like someone would know about that. The town runs without her just fine, but people notice when she's gone."

"Is she that well known here?" asked Wren. "Maybe… she needed a break?"

Merris' expression told her that he clearly didn't think that was the case.

"This isn't going to sound very good, but to be honest, I feel like Mobius is lying," he said, after a few moments. "I guess I don't have any proof, and I'm not about to run out there to point any fingers at him, but…"

Wren blinked. "Why would he… lie about that?"

"I don't know, I just don't trust him," he said, pursing his lips. "Listen, I know he likes people watching, it's why he wanders around so much. I don't think that he couldn't have realized she'd been gone longer than normal."

"Maybe that's true," said Twill, thinking. "He is… strange. I can't quite read him, but he has that same tinge on him from the temples, so that could be why, but… I don't know if that means we shouldn't believe him. We don't know how long he was traveling before we met him ourselves, after all. It's not too hard to believe he doesn't know anything, if he'd been away from the town."

"Yeah, I guess," said Merris. "Mobius is the one with all the money to fund this place's construction, but apart from that, he's more like a… Hands off kind of leader. Disputes are more or less managed by the townspeople, and usually Tana handles that kind of thing, so I can see that as a possibility."

"I'm not saying we should trust him either," added Twill. "But I think it's too early to decide that he's a liar. It's… a little rash to accuse people of lying about the whereabouts of another person, if their safety could be on the line."

Merris shrugged, leaning back in the chair he was seated in.

Wren had made herself comfortable sitting on the bed, but was averting her eyes from the conversation while she thought. Merris was frustrated, that much she could tell, but she didn't know what to say to be helpful to him.

"Maybe we should sleep on it?" asked Twill. "I know this is important to you, but maybe it can wait, so we can all rest for a bit. We've basically been on our feet since we woke up this morning."

Merris mumbled something in agreement.

"...What about Guadosalam?" asked Wren. "We should still look there, right? Maybe someone knows something?"

Twill rubbed their left arm, sighing. "Do you wish for me to continue accompanying you?"

"Will you leave if we go to Guadosalam?" she asked, frowning.

"I don't want to leave," said Twill honestly. "But I am nervous about going back. I don't know if I'll be allowed to pass through there peacefully or not, or if I'll even be recognized. That is… part of what my disguise is for, after all."

"Maybe you could stay here, and me and Merris will go by ourselves?" asked Wren. "I don't want you to leave."

"Then I'll risk it," they said, nodding. "Finding Tana safely is more important, and if I am treated as a criminal, then it's the same as if I leave. I do want to help, and I can't do that if I stay here. We'll lose more time if you have to come back for me."

"I'm not asking anyone to get arrested!" exclaimed Wren softly. "You really don't have to do that."

Twill nodded somewhat, then shrugged. "I'm getting a little attached to the two of you. This may be insensitive to say, but strange things have been happening since we started traveling, even though it hasn't been long. I kind of want to understand it myself, and I also want to be helpful. Better that than wandering Spira on my own for four years."

Wren nodded, smiling a little. "Okay. So we'll look for Tana together, then."

"Thanks," said Merris, quietly. "It'll be easier with all three of us. I didn't want to come all this way by myself when we started out, so thanks for helping me."

Twill seemed particularly pleased with that response, and reassured him once more.

Merris, somewhat embarrassed, made a comment about how late it was getting, and they started to clear out of his room after saying goodnight to each other.

There was still something bothering Wren, but she hoped that things would calm down after everyone had time to sleep. At least they had some clues about where to find Merris' sister. That had to come first. After that, they could get back on the road, exploring the temples.

She crawled into her bed, a little too soft for her tastes, but she got comfortable before she knew it.

As she considered later asking Mobius if she could have a peek inside Djose's temple, she was already beginning to doze off.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Hhhh I haven't updated in a couple of months because I've been busy with art commissions since January, so I wrote this because I was feeling guilty and I was missing working on this, haha.**

 **My ideas for this chapter got a little long, so I'm splitting it into two, and unfortunately ending a chapter on Wren falling asleep again, but I promise this time the fact that she's asleep matters.**


	12. Hall of the Hymn

In the depths of slumber, Wren could hear the Hymn all around her. The ancient song had fallen out of popularity after Sin was defeated, and yet she felt it in her heart anyway, resonating within her. It came from deep in the center of the city, and if it wasn't calling out to her, it was certainly worth investigating anyway.

She left the safety of the boat where she often found herself in that dream world, searching for the source of the song. The tall spires of the docking area disappeared behind her slowly as she walked farther into the city than she had cared to venture before. Ahead of her were strange roads that twisted over each other, reminding her of the Highroad. Massive glass buildings towered around her, along with buildings shaped like decorative spires. There were tall fountains that flowed water from absurd heights, standing much higher than Wren even as she took the higher path to get a better view of her surroundings. In the center of the city was a building she recognized as a blitzball stadium, reminding her of the one in Luca.

It was a large city that would surely need many people to keep it running, but she had never seen anyone else besides herself walking the streets. With no one else around, the sound of anyone singing was rather odd, and she felt uneasy as she walked briskly through the streets of the radiant city. The singing was coming from below her...

The sound of shattering glass brought her back to reality.

When she woke up, the voices had stopped. She looked up at the ceiling from her guest bed, disoriented for a few moments, before she registered something pass the doorway of her room.

Blinking the last of her dream away, she rolled out of the bed, not bothering to take her sandals as she peered around the corner of the doorway to see who was moving around in the guest chambers.

Wren guessed she hadn't been asleep for more than a few hours, based on how dark it still was. Despite how dim it was, she could make out a large figure moving around the small common area, centered somewhere around the floor.

"Merris?" she asked softly.

"Sorry," he whispered back. "It's dark-watch out for the glass."

She focused her energy, using her magic to form a ball of flames in the palm of her hand, crouching down to try to offer some of its light to him.

It was dim, but it got the job done of illuminating the shards of… whatever he had broken. Now she could see where he was, next to the low table in the center of the room, surrounded by comfortable looking chairs in front of a currently empty fireplace. This area led from the main hall into four separate bedrooms, one of two guest bedroom areas.

"What broke?"

"Uh… vase, maybe?" he said. "I didn't see it. That's how it ended up like this. It was on the table I bumped into, so…"

"I'll light the fireplace. Hold on." She started to tiptoe around the edge of the room against the wall, holding her hand carefully, afraid to enter the middle of the room with her bare feet.

"You sure you've got it?" he asked, looking up. "Be careful with that fire."

She murmured in agreement, but she wasn't worried. Magic was coming easier to her. Even without her staff, casting didn't take as much out of her as it used to. She took some kindling from the pot near the hearth, arranging the inside so she could start a real fire. After igniting the brittle wood and stoking it, the flame in her hand disappeared, the light now emanating from a small log fire.

Stepping out of the way of the fireplace so he could see better, she turned to look at him.

"What are you doing up?" she asked, tilting her head. She handed him the brush and dustpan from the fireplace, to try to dispose of the glass.

"Mobius invited us to explore, so that's what I'm doing," he said, snorting as he took them from her. "Well, I was going to, but…"

"You still think he knows something?" she asked.

"Yeah, I guess," said Merris, shrugging as he scraped the last of the biggest pieces up. "I'm not sure what I even think I'll find. Nothing, I hope. He's probably right about Tana being in Guadosalam, but while I'm here…"

"Do you want me to come with you to look around?" asked Wren.

Apart from wanting to do something to be useful to Merris, she wasn't sure why she had said that. Something made her want to explore as well. If she held her breath, she could feel something tingling at the floor beneath her feet, making her want to start moving.

"Sure," he said. "It might make me feel a little better."

"I'd be worried if I let you wander around by yourself while you go looking for trouble," said Wren, smiling.

Merris chuckled quietly as he disposed of the glass, then put the tools away, and turned back to her. "I guess we'd better get started. This place has been here since the town was built, but I've never been this far in before."

Wren made a small noise of agreement.

They ventured out into the hallway together. Wren gestured to indicate she would follow Merris, letting him move ahead of her.

"Do you know where you're going?" she asked.

"Not really," he said. "But I have an idea. There is somewhere in here I've always wanted to see. This place, uh… Mobius lives in the main part of it. Sometimes he has events here, but it's not very often, and it's limited to that big entry area we saw on our way in."

"But below us, there's another room. Underground," he said. "That's where Respira meets. There's a special entrance outside, in the back for everyone to get in, but I bet Mobius has his own entrance in here somewhere."

"That's where they meet? Do you really think there's another way in?"

"Yes, I've never seen him use that entrance before," he said. "But I've been away, and I'm not, and never have been part of the group, so maybe I've just missed him."

Wren rubbed at her neck. "I don't want to upset him, if we don't find anything, but I want to see… I've been curious about his group since I heard about them."

"If he's insulted, then we'll leave and never see him again," said Merris.

"I kind of wanted his help with my research, but… I guess there's plenty I can find on my own," she said, frowning. "It's strange that there's a real summoner still living here now that the Eternal Calm has ended… But he's not the same as the others… The Fayth only offered themselves to summoners who aligned themselves with their views. Sin is already gone, and he's still got his aeon… I want to know what's going on here."

She seemed to have unintentionally talked herself into following Merris' plan, whatever her original thinking was.

"Right?" asked Merris. "Let's get moving. The lift is probably closer to the main part of the building than we are now."

As they neared the center of the castle, they took extra care to be quiet, as not to wake anyone else. Mobius' quarters were on the other side of the building from their guest area, so though they had little to fear, they were still cautious.

Standing at the top of the tall staircase that led to the upper floor and to the other wings of the huge manor, they started their search, moving downstairs to be thorough.

"I found the lift," said Wren, whispering. She was standing behind the stairs, where the main hallway wrapped around the grand staircase. It wasn't really hidden after all, but it was certainly what they had been looking for, and Merris' pleased grin showed that he thought so too.

The elevator was clearly not meant for a large number of people, and it was almost uncomfortable, as close as they had to stand together. Twill definitely wouldn't like to endure this ride with them.

"How far down does this go?" asked Wren, looking up at Merris.

"It's underground, I don't know? Far enough," he answered. "I've only really run errands here before, while it was being built, I couldn't tell you the numbers."

"It's still impressive," she said. "I've heard there's something like this under Bevelle too, but I've never seen it myself."

The room they stood in when the gate opened to let them off the lift was easily the same size as the main hall of the mansion above ground. It was filled with crystalline benches in neat rows, all facing the front of the room. There were rows of great arches on either side of the room, molded into the ceiling and framing the room nicely, making it feel less empty. There was little else in the room besides a decorated altar, in the front center of the hall.

"Is this where they meet?" asked Wren, peering out at the altar.

"Yep. It can get pretty crowded in here, apparently. This town isn't that busy, but Mobius has enough influence to bring in an audience, at least," he said. "But there's something else below us, another room that other people aren't allowed into very often. That's what we're looking for."

There was a large carving indented into the wall behind the altar, its border shaped like an arch, and depicting the form of Lady Yunalesca, her arms outstretched as she offered herself to the people of Spira in sacrifice, and a halo, or perhaps the moon, above her head.

"What… kind of group is Respira?" asked Wren.

"I don't know very much about it," admitted Merris. "Yevonism is all the same to me, no offense. It just doesn't appeal to me."

"No, I understand." nodded Wren, looking at the carving. "This decoration feels kind of ominous to me."

"Temple imagery tends to have that feel to it… Complete with the promise of a divine curse," he said."Tana made that. Mobius commissioned her to do a lot of decoration in his home and down here, so."

Wren traced the carving with her hand. "She did this? Is she part of Respira?"

"Not unless she joined after I left," he said, studying it with her for a moment. "Tana is headstrong. I don't think she likes being told what to do by anyone, let alone some priest or god, even if she was religious. It was just a job to her."

After a while of searching, the gathering hall seemed to be nothing more than it appeared. Wren was starting to doubt there really was such a place below this underground cathedral.

"Are you sure there's really another level?" she asked, leaning against the wall.

"Positive. I was here when it was being built from the ground up," Merris said. "Mobius had a large hand in the creation of this building in particular, but he did have help cleaning each level for construction."

"So that's why all this crystal it looks like it's made out of something magical," said Wren, nodding. "I wonder how he did it…"

As she trailed off, she realized that she could feel a draft. It tickled at her skin, and she had to pause for a second to decide where it was coming from. She called Merris over, and as they looked for its source, they found it. The carving itself had more than an indentation around it; there was a discernible gap between the edge of the carving and the wall around it.

Merris traced the arch with his hands, frowning. "This has to be it, but I don't really know what I'm looking at."

"Secret door?"

"Maybe, but how does it open?" he asked. "It doesn't seem like it's activated with any sphere… But there has to be something, somewhere."

As Merris traced the mosaic of Yunalesca, he touched the moon, which was a decorative silver, inlaid into the stone rather than carved, as much of the goddess seemed to be. At his touch, a mechanical click was heard, as something locked into place, and the mosaic lowered into the ground, revealing another lift behind it.

This one's decorative gate was quite pretty, but the lift was much larger than the other, the personal one Mobius used himself. Merris had said that not many people got to see it, but it was big enough to carry more than one person at a time. What was it for?

As they got on the lift together and descended once more, Wren heard it again. The Hymn. Only this time, she wasn't dreaming.

"What is that?" she asked, like she didn't believe it.

"The Hymn?" asked Merris, also unsure. "I hear a lot of voices… When this gate opens, we might not be alone."

The fact that the lift had been at the top when they opened the door made Wren think otherwise, but she guessed Merris must have been thinking the same thing. She wondered if she would prefer to be alone, or to find other people behind the door when it opened. The singing was only getting louder as they reached the bottom.

The door at the bottom of the lift opened the same as the one at the top. As it lowered, it startled Wren, who was already feeling disoriented, thrown for a loop by the voices they heard.

The room inside seemed to be made of glass and crystal, just like much of Mobius' decorating. It was similar in structure to the gathering hall they had just come from, with its arches, but the similarities stopped there. There were few decorations in this room, no seating for any guests, nothing besides a rich, colorful tapestry on the far wall, and obelisks, like grave markers, on either side of… something flat Wren couldn't quite make out that was nested in the floor itself. As she looked around, she saw several more spots where the obelisks were marking something she couldn't make out from where she stood, but she already knew.

They were alone in the hall.

"Fayth stones," murmured Wren. She wasn't sure if Merris had heard her, over the Hymn.

"Yeah," he said.

They stepped forward, the lift's gate closing behind them as they exited.

"Your sister," said Wren, urgent as she tugged his arm. "She wouldn't-"

"No! No, she wouldn't," said Merris, shaking his head abruptly. "She had no reason; she and Mobius weren't even close. She can't be here."

Still, they had to look.

There were a total of seven stones, each one featuring the depiction of the human soul it contained, combined with the aeon their soul had taken the shape of. Wren recognized Kianpraty, a sturdily built man covered in stone and moss, but it was impossible to determine any of their identities.

"None of them look like her," said Merris, after a minute.

"Then she's still somewhere else," said Wren. "She's alive…!"

Merris winced. "Well… we know she hasn't been turned into a Fayth. I hope that's enough…"

"I do too… I'm sorry," she said. "We'll find her…"

"I know, I know," he said. "I'm just tired. And really worried about her. She knows how to defend herself, but sometimes that isn't enough. Bad things happen to good people every day. I can't stop thinking about it, even though I believe she's still alive too."

Wren rubbed his arm soothingly, looking up at him with sympathy. The Hymn was almost overwhelming, seven voices singing in harmony. It shook Wren to her core, and that combined with the scare they had both just had made her want to crawl into bed and sleep for another week or so.

"We should go back," she said. "We won't find anything else here."

Merris nodded, turning away from the stones. He'd had enough too.

The lift seemed to have automatically returned to the top when they turned back to the gate, making the lingering feeling of being trapped in that room take even longer to fade, before it finally arrived. They took Mobius' personal lift up to the main hall once again, standing in silence.

As they rose back to ground level, Wren became increasingly uncomfortable, feeling almost like something was coming towards them as the lift stopped. When the gate opened, she was surprised to see Mobius standing directly in front of them.

"I was wondering who was wandering around so late at night," said Mobius. The room's lighting was already low, but standing behind the stairs with them, he looked almost ominous, his arms folded.

"I woke up, and decided to get some fresh air. When I heard the lift running, I knew it must have been one of you," he said.

She didn't think they were in trouble, but something felt off. She didn't think he was very happy about what they had done. "I'm sorry. You said we were free to go wherever we wanted, but I guess that doesn't extent to outside your home… I saw that room. Below the chapel."

"You heard the Hymn," said Mobius, bringing his arms back to his sides. "I understand. It calls me as well, but I suppose I'm used to it now, since this is my home, after all. I am the keeper of the Fayth stones in our Hall of the Hymn. It is an honor to be allowed to enter that Hall, you must realize."

"...What are they for, Mobius?" asked Wren, quietly. "I don't remember if I asked you before or not, but why are you keeping them? They're willing to fight for you, but I don't even understand what it is you're trying to do."

"It is in the interest of protecting the people of Spira," repeated Mobius. "If a great threat such as Sin were ever to arise against the people again, there will always be someone to protect the world's citizens. If not myself, then someone else. I would give my life to defeat such an evil."

He was expecting something, then. Wren was at a loss for words, and as she looked up at Merris, she could see that he was deep in his own thoughts.

"I should apologize," said Mobius. "I only wanted to find out just who was using my elevator in the middle of the night. I didn't come here to scold you for exploring my home, exactly as I encouraged you to do. If you don't need anything else, then I'll be on my way."

Merris rubbed at the back of his neck. "Actually, I wanted to see something. Not now, of course, but do you think we could check out the inside of the temple before we head out of town tomorrow?"

"The temple is currently off limits to the general public," started Mobius. "As you know, the temple is generating most of the town's energy, so only authorized personnel-"

"I'd say it's pretty important to Wren's filming, don't you think?" asked Merris, clearly trying to signal to her to speak up as well.

"Oh! I'd love to see inside," said Wren, catching on. "I'm not sure my equipment will work inside, but I can at least take notes, like last time. I'd hate to miss out."

Mobius seemed to consider something for a few moments. "I suppose it's fine… but you must be careful. The way things are set up, it isn't meant for just anyone to wander in aimlessly. If you're cautious, then I will give you permission to enter."

"Thanks. I really appreciate it," said Wren.

"If you need written word, I'll give it to you tomorrow, before you depart," said Mobius, stifling a yawn. "I'll return to bed once I've had my fill of the night air. Goodnight, to both of you."

He turned away from them, then disappeared to the front of the staircase. Wren and Merris could hear him ascending the stairs, looking between each other nervously.

"...We should go back to our rooms," said Merris.

Wren nodded, and they left as well.

The fire that Wren had started in the fireplace was dying as they reached their common area.

"We probably should have put that out," said Wren, frowning just a little as she closed the door behind them.

"Probably. It turned out alright though," said Merris, taking a seat on the sofa.

Wren sat down across from him, feeling like they should discuss something before they went to bed again. The events that had taken place between when they left the room and when they returned to it all made her feel ill at ease.

"Hey, why did you want to go to the temple so bad?" asked Wren.

"Don't you want to see inside?" asked Merris.

"Well, yes, but it sounds like there isn't much to see, if they're running their equipment through there. And the lightning will probably interfere with my sphere recorder, so I can't film… But it sounded like you wanted to look there yourself."

"It's the only place we wouldn't normally be allowed to go," he said, shrugging slightly. "I thought I might as well ask, since it's all that's left…"

"Yeah," said Wren, resting her head in one hand while she thought. "I don't know what Mobius is up to, but I like it less the longer we stay here… I don't think I trust him after all. Didn't that conversation feel weird to you too?"

"Absolutely," snorted Merris. "He talks to you differently from other people. That whole time, he was speaking to you as if I wasn't even there."

"You're right," she said, frowning. "...Why do you think that is?"

"I don't think it's me he has a problem with. He has a bad habit of not taking other people seriously. I thought I could use your opinion to sway him into giving us permission, and it looks like I was right. I think he sees something special in you. I don't know what that means, but it can't be anything we want any part of."

"I'll watch out for him," she said, nodding. "For now, let's just go back to sleep… We'll leave tomorrow and tell Twill everything we saw after that. We should get out of here, before he tries to sell us something."

Merris laughed at that, a surprisingly light, bubbly sound. "I've been in such a bad mood all day, that surprised me," he elaborated. "He does seem like a sleazy salesman, doesn't he?"

"I guess that's how priests of Yevon are, even if they aren't part of Yevon," admitted Wren, giggling softly herself.

They seemed a little more at ease after that, the mood somewhat lightened. It felt better to Wren, at least, who was sensitive to such things as infectious bad moods. With Merris relaxing finally, she was starting to feel better too.

"We should get back to sleep," she said a moment later. "It's going to be miserable tomorrow if we don't get enough sleep."

"Yeah," said Merris, getting to his feet. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Wren stood up as well, ready to return to her room.

"Oh, yeah. Thanks for coming with me," he said. "I have no idea how smoothly that would have gone if you hadn't been there."

"I'm glad I was there too," she said. "I don't trust him. I'm glad you accidentally woke me up for this. If it came to the worst, I'm not sure any of us could stand up against him. ...But I don't think he'd get that mad just over you snooping."

"Who knows," he said, snorting. "Anyway… yeah. See you in the morning. Can't wait to get out of here."

"Me too," nodded Wren. "See you then."


	13. Might as Well

The following morning, Wren and Merris told Twill what they had found deep below Mobius' home. Twill's expression turned to one of confusion.

"What does he believe he's protecting Spira from?"

"He won't say," said Wren, shaking her head. "I've asked him two different times why he has his own Fayth, and both times he's said the same thing."

"Nothing suspicious about that," said Merris, making a small jab in the air with his finger for emphasis.

He then swung his bag containing his things over his shoulder, and headed to the entrance.

"I don't… understand what it is we're getting into," said Twill, scratching the back of their neck with a frown. "I feel like it's my responsibility to keep looking into this, but at the same time, I know we're in over our heads."

"I feel the same way," said Wren. "It's… a lot to think about."

Merris was nowhere to be seen when they made their way down from the guest rooms.

Mobius was waiting there for them at the bottom of the stairs again. The ominous aura from the previous night was gone, chased away by the light pouring into the room from the balcony window.

"Good morning! If you're looking for your friend, he's gone ahead," said Mobius, cheerily. "I doubt he'll be allowed entry without my word of approval, though. I've written it down in a letter for you to give the foreman, but he left without saying a word to me."

He handed Wren a thick piece of parchment that was folded into three segments. She opened it to view its contents briefly, finding it to be exactly what he had said, instructions to allow the three of them into the temple.

"Thank you," said Wren, folding it back up neatly. "We had better catch up with Merris."

"I'm just sorry you couldn't stay any longer," said Mobius, gesturing the two of them to the door with a pleasant smile. He didn't seem to have heard what she said about the other member of their party.

"Us too," she said, starting to move.

She tried not to feel obligated to say anything else as the front door was opened and they left.

Once they were out the door and headed down the main street leading into the town, she spoke up again. "Do you think he noticed I was avoiding speaking to him?"

Twill tilted their head back, thinking. "I don't… know what he notices. He seems to be in his own little world. But I'd say that most people would have picked up on that."

Wren gave a small hum as they walked, picking up the pace. "Oh well. I don't want to spend too much time here anyway. If I can avoid him, I will."

As Mobius had said, they found Merris in front of the temple, pacing his anxieties away. When he spotted them, he stopped to pick up his things.

Wren showed him the piece of parchment given to her by Mobius. After reading it over, he shrugged, then motioned with it to the information center.

They took the parchment to the man from the previous day. He took them to the door, and unlocked the new mechanism that had been put in place to keep the general public out. He allowed them inside, wishing them well with whatever they might find.

Unlike the other temples, this one had a living feeling to it. There were large cables to carry power to the town lying on the ground. Every light inside glowed fiercely, as if somehow supercharged, yet never burning out.

"This place has been defunct as a temple for a while now," said Merris, squinting into the light of the path ahead of them. "I haven't really been here since they were installing all of this."

"They moved their place of worship to that place beneath Mobius' mansion," said Twill. "They can't have visitors with these lines running energy to the town, but I'm still suspicious of his intentions."

"I think we're past suspicion by now," admitted Wren, frowning. "But without knowing what he's really up to, all we can do is keep our heads down and pretend we suspect anything…"

Merris grunted in agreement, and the three of them moved on, careful of the lines as they walked.

"As far as I can tell, I don't think people come in here very often," he said. "They only send someone here to check the lines if there's a problem, usually with fiends. I don't know what we'll find in here, so brace yourselves."

The walk to the innermost sanctum of the temple wasn't far. The lift was already operational when they arrived, so they let themselves in. When the lift stopped, they were standing in a large, dark room unlike the previous rooms. Twill set a light, and they found themselves staring into an endless pit.

"This is like what I saw in Kilika," said Wren, stepping back from the pit so she was still standing at the door. "Something came out of the pit…"

"The Pyreflies," said Twill, nodding.

Merris was inspecting something on the far wall from the door, standing over what appeared to be a broken Machina.

"This explains why the lights are out," he said, frowning. "This is where the power runs from, but the light has been damaged… I guess it has been awhile since they sent anyone in here. This should probably be considered a safety hazard. If anyone reported it…"

"Maybe a fiend broke it?" asked Wren. "This is where all those fiends came from too, right?"

"That's right, but… I don't think this was a fiend," said Merris. "If they left it like this, with no signs of any fiends around, they would have fixed it by now."

He got on his knees and started searching in the mess of broken parts, as if the machine had been smashed. He inspected the bits and pieces, screws that had fallen out of place, and bent plating. After a few moments, he stopped, staring at something in his hand.

"What is that?" asked Twill, bringing the light closer.

"It's… one of Tana's earrings. She made it herself," said Merris. "I don't know how recently, but she was here…"

"And no one else has seen her since she supposedly left town…" said Wren, eyeing the pit. "Hey, Merris…"

He turned his head, stuffing the earring into one of the pockets on his belt as he stood up. "Yeah, I think she fell. Or someone pushed her, who knows. There are signs of a struggle here."

"Mobius said that these pits lead directly to the Farplane," said Wren. "Is that where the energy is coming from too?"

Merris nodded, beginning to pace the floor once again. "Yeah. I don't actually know that much about the process. Some kid was here working on it who designed the whole thing, but like I said, I haven't exactly spent much time here."

He stopped pacing, and then sat down on the ground, burying his face in his hands while he thought. "I have to get down there somehow…"

"Think it's safe to jump?" asked Wren, wincing. "I mean… if the energy is running from the Farplane, someone has to have explored what's on the other side, right?"

"It should be. They had to send people down there somehow," said Merris. "She could still be alive down there…"

"If we had some way of rappelling down, we could make it without having to jump. But we don't even know how far down it goes," she said. "You can't even see the light from the Farplane from here."

"...I've heard," said Twill, frowning. "I don't know, but I've heard that's how they dealt with the first outbreaks in the temples, when these pits first appeared. That people jumped into them to take care of the fiends? And lived to tell the tale, of course. The Farplane is really its own realm, like the other side of the veil… But whether or not it's safe to jump in..."

"We had better consult Lady Yuna," admitted Wren. "Even if we entered from Guadosalam, I don't know how we'd be able to find Tana."

"That might be a good idea," said Merris, sighing.

Wren took the CommSphere given to her by Yuna out of her bag, inspecting it for a few moments. She activated it, and braced herself for an answer when the sphere responded to her touch.

"Hello?" asked Yuna's voice.

In the dim image of the sphere, she could see Yuna's face. It was still early in the day, but she seemed to have been awake for some time now.

"Wren?"

"Lady Yuna?" answered Wren. "I'm sorry to bother you so early, but… We have reason to believe that someone is in danger, and may be stuck in the Farplane."

Yuna paused for a few moments, as if she was studying the image seen in her own CommSphere. "...Where are you right now?"

"We're inside the temple in Djose. There's a big pit here, like the one in Kilika," said Wren, turning the sphere so the hole was visible. "We want to rescue Merris' sister, but we… don't know what to do, if she really did fall."

"Those holes do lead directly to the Farplane," said Yuna, her tone becoming serious. "I fell into one of them myself, a few years ago. Exactly how doesn't matter, but I wouldn't advise you to jump in headfirst. But if you're doing it to save a friend, then I'll admit it should be fine, if you did."

"It should be?" asked Wren.

"I did have to return a few times, but it's not as if I did it because I was curious," said Yuna. "I'm not even actually sure how the holes are connected to the Farplane, but each time, I didn't have as much as a scratch on me."

"Wren," said Twill, freeing their hand to tap her shoulder.

She turned her head to look at the other, who gestured around the room. The room was now suspiciously empty, apart from the two of them.

"He's already gone. I'm going to follow him," said Twill. "I'll make sure he's safe."

Wren paused for a few moments, frowning, before looking back at Yuna. "Well, it looks like all my friends are jumping down holes, so I guess I have to too."

Yuna gave a weak laugh at that. "Let me know how it goes, if you can. I hope you find what you're looking for."

"I do too. Thanks, Yuna," said Wren, dipping her head.

The sphere went dark, and Wren tucked it away once again, then looked over at Twill for validation.

Twill nodded to her, though they also seemed nervous. "He's braver than I am. But I'd better go after him, just to make sure he makes it back."

Wren wasn't sure she had much of a choice but to jump. She only had other people's word that it would be safe, but thinking about it made her feel worse. She tried telling herself that on the other side would be a huge, soft bed for her to land in. She'd be alright.

"Let's jump together, on three?" she asked.

"One…"

She gripped her bag tightly.

"Two…"

They both stepped closer to the edge, looking down into the abyss.

"Three!"

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **This chapter is really late because I've been busy with a bunch of other stuff, but I've been slowly chipping away at this chapter, and have already started the next.**

 **It's not very interesting but it was starting to run very long, so I cut it in half from what I've started writing of the next chapter.**

 **Also I'm updating this from my phone so forgive any formatting mistakes, I'll fix them later.**


	14. Tana

The next thing Wren knew, she was lying in the grass of another world.

She had hit the ground, that much she knew, but the impact felt like no more than tripping over her own feet. She hadn't even felt the sensation of falling once she jumped. She could tell she was going to be covered in bruises, and she had landed on her bag.

Frantically, she sat up, then began checking her equipment for damage. Her camera and recorded spheres were safe, but the CommSphere…

As a result of someone's tampering, it did appear a little more fragile than her own equipment, and it hadn't been properly secured when she jumped. The sphere itself was cracked, while the base was badly dented. As it was, there was no way Wren could see to activate it.

She frowned. "The CommSphere is broken… I don't think I can fix this."

"I'm sure Yuna will understand," said Twill, still lying on their side in the tall grass, as they had fallen.

"If she doesn't think I'm dead," said Wren, a little worry in her voice. "I guess I could write to her to tell her what happened, but I think that's the end of that lifeline."

"Worry about what to do once we leave the Farplane," said Twill softly, sitting up. "We need to find Merris."

They were standing in a huge field, with grass tall and thick enough to conceal a person while kneeling. The light all seemed off color from their own world, pink and rosy like a sunset, but it was almost as bright as if it was noon. The sound of rushing water seemed to come from everywhere, with no identifiable source.

Wren called out to Merris. They had jumped in only seconds later, he couldn't have gotten too far away from them.

He didn't answer.

"Do you think he can hear us?" she asked, looking up at Twill.

"He should be able to. Unless he got up and sprinted to the other side of the field as soon as he got here, for some reason," they said. "Let's keep moving. Don't go too far away, I don't want either of us getting separated."

She nodded, and the two of them started making their way across the field, careful not to leave each other's sight. They called out for Merris every so often, waiting a few moments each time for an answer.

The tall grass faded away into a clearing, and at the end it broke off into a new path. Wren realized that the grass behind them looked undisturbed, as if no one had been here in a long time. As if they hadn't passed through it only seconds before. It was now impossible to see where they had landed when they arrived.

The path led down, deeper into the Farplane. It was only about three feet wide, carved into the side of the rock they were standing on. From where they stood, they could actually see the expanse of the otherworld. Massive waterfalls seemed to appear out of nowhere, tumbling over the sides of a great, rocky canyon. In the center was a lush valley, stretching on in a way that made it appear much smaller from a distance. If they followed the path, it might take them closer to the valley.

They followed the path together, with Wren in the front, and Twill watching over her. The sound of the water was getting louder as they descended, so they stopped trying to shout over it. If Merris couldn't hear them before, he certainly wouldn't be able to now.

At the end of the path, they discovered the mass of land they were standing wasn't, in fact, connected to anything else. It was a big, floating island, with a path much like a corkscrew surrounding its sides. The edge of the path broke off into a trail of floating rocks, which they could attempt to jump across.

"I guess this is the only way he could have gone..." said Wren.

"It has to be," agreed Twill.

Wren was regretting that she wasn't as athletic as either of her companions, but the path made by the rocks wasn't too treacherous. The prospect of falling terrified her, but it reminded her of an extreme game of 'the floor is lava.' Each rock was flat enough on top for her to jump to without slipping or losing confidence as she moved, like stepping stones.

Twill had a considerably easier time, however, loosening their robes to leap across the path, skipping a couple of steps on the way.

"I guess the spear on your back isn't just for show. You can really move." said Wren, pointing with a nervous laugh.

They nodded, pleased. "I'm a little rusty with it though. I haven't had much use for it since I left Guadosalam."

As they moved on, they looked around, peering across the lush land ahead of them. It stretched much farther out than they realized from above. They were now standing at the valley's edge.

Wren's head was spinning from the open plain as she looked around. She could turn around and see the void of clouds she was actually standing in, in one direction, and in the other was a flourishing paradise.

Twill tried calling for Merris once again.

This time, they got an answer.

"Over here!"

Neither of them wasted any time in scrambling towards the voice that had answered them. There, hidden by rich foliage, was a small shelter built between the trees. Resting under it was a dark skinned girl with blonde hair she tied back with a loose red ribbon, and eyes just like Merris'. Standing beside her, outside of the shelter, was Merris himself.

The girl was holding something in her hands, woven out of colorful dried grass, it looked like. It appeared to be a bracelet, but it wasn't yet finished. The pattern was simple; she was tying it off with a rosy colored stalk as they stood there.

Wren looked between them for a moment, unsure of where to start.

She didn't have to, though, because Merris knelt down beside the girl with a frown. "What is this? What have you been doing down here?"

Tana gestured to a pile beside her of similar looking trinkets, each one roughly the same, but with the unique quality of having been created using materials from the Farplane. "I've had plenty of time to screw around. Waiting for grass to dry and weaving it into something new, mostly. What else is there to do when you're stuck in another world with no way out?"

"There's no way out?" said Wren, frowning. "There's the entrance in Guadosalam, we can get out that way, can't we?"

Twill gestured to the sky, where Wren could make out another hunk of rock floating like a balloon above them. "It's all the way up there. Disconnected from the rest of the Farplane."

They stood in silence, Wren still staring at the smallish rock above them.

"Anyway… this is my sister, Tana," said Merris, gesturing to her. "And these guys are the ones I've been traveling with. Wren is traveling Spira, making a record of the High Summoners, and Twill and I have been looking out for her. And each other."

Tana smiled at them, showing cute dimples. "It's nice to see another face around here. You know, besides the dead. Because that's what's down here. Pyreflies, and more Pyreflies."

Twill laughed at that. "You have a dry sense of humor. I like that. I'm Twill."

"So the little Chickadee must be Wren," snorted Tana, giving a small wave.

"So… you're alright, then?" asked Merris. He scratched the side of his face, looking more perplexed than anything.

"As much as I can be, but what about all of you? Now we're all stuck down here," she said, frowning.

Merris sat down on the ground finally, resting his chin in his hand. Wren began wringing her hands, looking off in this distance. After a few moments, both she and Twill also took a seat near the other two.

Tana shrugged again, then reached for more of the dried grass she'd set aside, beginning a new bracelet.

"How did you get down here?" asked Merris, handing her the lost earring from his pocket.

"How do you think? Mobius pushed me," she said, scowling as she took it. "Either he thought the fall would kill me, or he thinks me being stuck here is just as good."

Wren looked shocked. "Are you okay?"

Tana turned her attention to Wren, her eyes softening at her worried expression. "I'm still alive. I didn't think he'd do anything like this, but I can't say I'm that surprised, after what I found out."

"...What did you hear that made him want to get rid of you?" asked Merris. "We searched all through his mansion, the only questionable thing we found was a room full of Fayth stones, and he didn't bother us about it."

She rolled her eyes again, frowning deeply while she worked. "I've ignored his business for a long time, because he's got the money to keep the town running. You remember when the showed up after the Machine Faction disbanded when Gippal left? Everyone was trying to figure out where to go from there, so when he shows up with plans to put a real town there, we were all on board. We'd been living there unofficially long enough to be pretty comfortable, right?"

"Well, he's not much of a leader," said Tana, waving it off. "But he's got an interest in keeping Djose together, so he appoints someone else to do that job-that's me. I run things, he funds it. I turn a blind eye to his group, because I'm not interested, and he doesn't bother me with it. They're not hurting anyone, why should I care?"

"What about the Fayth stones?" asked Wren.

"I'm getting there. Maybe a month before all this happened, I noticed a few people who were part of his group got awfully quiet. It turns out, it's because they've been turned into Fayth. There's nothing that says creating a Fayth is a crime, apparently it's a religious freedom-and it's common knowledge that in order for a summoner to harness a Fayth's power, they must have the Fayth's blessing. So these people gave their lives for him, for some reason."

"Well, I'm still not satisfied, even knowing that he definitely has the ability to summon each of the Fayth he keeps in that Hall. 'There's no reason for anyone to have that kind of power now that Sin is gone.' That's what anyone would say," she said, looking up at them. "Actually, he's the one who told me himself what he was up to. He asked me about something that happened when the Machine Faction first moved in. I was one of the first people to explore the temple after it wasn't being used anymore, since it's a little out of the way and at the time there wasn't anything else there."

"I'm not sure how to explain what happened, but it was me and a few other people, before we set up our equipment, and when we investigated the Fayth chamber, there was what looked like… a big blob of Pyreflies? It attacked me, and no one has seen it since. Mobius was certainly interested in it, though."

Wren's eyes lit up. "Hey! The same thing happened to me, in Kilika. I was out like a light for about a full day."

"Really?" asked Tana, raising an eyebrow. "Well, I don't know how much you're going to like this, then. He heard what had happened to me from some of the other people who were scoping the temple out initially. It was mostly just rumors, but he told me that was why he'd appointed me to take care of things around town, apart from his guards. He asked me what had happened, and then he told me a little more about it, once I was finished."

"Apparently, I've been carrying part of someone's spirit inside me for almost four years. He said the Farplane sometimes spits out Pyreflies, sometimes in the form of Unsent—people whose will or ties to the living world brought them back from the Farplane, and sometimes as the little ones you see all over Spira, especially on ground that's sacred to Yevon," she said. "But lately, this has been happening, rarely, and randomly, but for a few years now. The same thing apparently happened to him, in Bevelle, where he came from before coming to Djose. The Pyreflies are coming back up as these… amalgamations, and they're not particularly friendly. They do what they did to you and me, and they're just… living inside us. Mobius said the amalgamations are incomplete, however, and so they don't have very much effect, but I'd felt a little weird ever since I met him, and I think it's because of the Pyreflies. He has them too, and I think they were reacting to each other."

"Why didn't I know about this?" asked Merris. "You just said some fiend attacked you."

"I didn't know it was important back then," she said. "I thought it was some kind of fiend."

"I've felt that from Mobius too," said Wren, remembering the weird feeling she'd had when she arrived in Djose, and when she was sneaking around with Merris. "But I don't feel it from you…"

"And that explains why I always sense the Farplane on you," said Twill, frowning as they glanced to Wren. "Not that being able to sense death is a useful skill, inside the Farplane."

Tana nodded. "I think that's how Mobius knew to ask around about me, to be honest. I think he sensed it from me too. He said to me that it could cause things like… weird dreams or gut feelings like that, but apart from feeling off around him, I've never noticed anything strange since then. I don't dream very much."

"I have that," said Wren, quietly, frowning.

"Right, apparently he does too," said Tana. "But I asked him a little more about it, and he suggested I show him where it happened. So I took him to the temple. I showed him the pit, and we dealt with a few fiends, it wasn't a big deal. Then he asked me to join Respira. I said I wasn't interested, of course, but he said that I might be interested in his goal, if I wanted to learn more about the Pyreflies."

"What is his goal?" asked Twill.

"He said he wants to restore Spira to its natural state," she said, grimly. "He wants to bring back Sin. And apparently he needs all the little pieces of those souls to be able to do it."

The air felt stiff as she said that, everyone sat stunned while they processed it.

"Why would he do that?" asked Merris, his eyes flashing. "After a thousand years of suffering, we finally get to catch our breath, and he wants to destroy it?"

Twill's expression was almost blank, their eyes glazed over as they thought. "So many people died because of Sin… I can't even imagine the numbers after that long. We can't go back to that. I can't either."

"I don't know anything else," she said, shaking her head. "As soon as he said that, I couldn't even think of how to respond. He knew we didn't see eye to eye immediately, and then there was a struggle. In the end, he threw me down here with nothing but my sword. I don't know why he does anything."

"He needs the Pyreflies…" mumbled Wren, feeling nauseous. "And… that's why he's so interested in me. Because I pushed him out of the way because I thought he was being attacked. They were coming to him… like they wanted to be completed too. But now I have them instead…"

Merris sighed heavily. "This is a lot to think about."

"He wants to use me to bring back Sin…" repeated Wren. Her head was throbbing. Her arms and legs didn't feel like they belonged to her. "I need to lie down."

"So if Mobius knows you have part of them, then why has he left you here alone?" asked Merris. "Wouldn't he come after you?"

"Only if he thinks I'm still alive," said Tana. "Or he already thinks I won't be for long. There are definitely other ways to die besides starving or dying of thirst."

Twill assisted Wren in making a place for her to lie down in the grass, using her bedroll to rest her head, then helped her to it, setting her down gently.

"I honestly might have given up soon, if you all didn't show up," said Tana, curling her knees up to her chest. "I'll be okay. If you all think we can find a way out, or if you don't, at least we can keep each other company."

"Hey…" said Merris, frowning and scooting closer to her. "Don't say that. We'll be alright. We'll get out of this place and things can… go back to sort of normal, until we figure out what to do about Mobius."

"We will have to find some way to keep him from realizing his goal, whatever his actual plan may be," said Twill, returning from assisting Wren.

"I only know as much as I told you," admitted Tana. "I don't know how many pieces of these clusters there are, or how much he already has, and I don't really even understand what it is to do with Sin at all. We'd have to find out from him."

"In a perfect world, we wouldn't have to give him the chance to tell us," they said. "But then again, in a perfect world, we wouldn't have this problem in the first place."

Tana folded her arms, shaking her head slowly. "I think we're getting ahead of ourselves. The first thing we have to think about is how to get out of here."

"You're right," said Twill, nodding. "We should try looking for anything resembling an exit. Cover as much ground as we can, within reason, then come back here."

"The three of us should split up as long as we're going to be looking. There's a lot of empty space here," said Tana.

Merris pointed at Wren, who had managed to start dozing off, attempting to sleep off her headache. "Someone should stay here with her. It would be bad if we left her here alone without an explanation and she woke up."

"Then I'll stay, I guess," said Tana, leaning back again. "I've been looking since I got here myself. Someone else might find something I missed."

The two of them nodded in agreement, then got to their feet. Merris started in one direction, while Twill headed in the other, and Tana returned to her idle braiding, now placing a mild amount of attention to the girl sleeping in the grass before her.

Though it was quiet again without the other two, with Wren there it was already far more tolerable than without her.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **If I spend far too long looking at a chapter once I've finished writing, and I can't think of how to condense or streamline it any further, I just go ahead and post it. Worrying about overthinking outweighs my fear of making mistakes, somehow. Having said that... I worry that some of this won't make sense because I overexplained to compensate, hoping providing more details would make it easier to understand.**

 **So uh, if you're confused you can ask me here, or send an ask to my tumblr, and I'll try to answer to the best of my abilities, lol (and possibly edit the chapter to be a little more clear, at a later date, we'll see.)**


	15. Deus Ex Anima

This time, when Wren visited that city once again, it was full of life. The people she had wondered about were now bustling in all directions, even though it was dark out. She could hear them chattering happily about their lives and the night they were having. It was all idle, but it made her feel at ease to see the previously empty city with its inhabitants accounted for.

She weaved through the crowd with no real idea of where she was going. Just like real life, the people in the dream seemed to be more or less gravitating towards the Blitzball stadium. Wren didn't feel particularly compelled to sway with them, instead opting to find the other half of the nightlife. Where were people spending their nights for fun? Apart from Blitzball, a culture which she was all too familiar with already.

Wren found her way to a less crowded street than the one that seemed to cut the city in two, though it was still quite busy. There was one building she could see that seemed to have the largest number of people passing in and out of it from the street every so often, and she made her way towards it.

Inside, it appeared to be a regular bar, something that didn't really surprise her after she thought about it. She wasn't old enough to drink, but she took a seat at a table away from the bar by herself, the table empty because of the larger groups people seemed to be traveling in.

The walls were decorated with many draping fabrics of varying patterns, the colors ranging on the warm side. There was a small flower vase resting on the dark wood table, which seemed to be well used. At one point, it seemed to have some kind of varnish applied, but when could only see traces of it left, it was worn down from use. All in all, a very lived in look, but not decrepit looking at all.

What was she doing here…?

The last thing she remembered was being told that the Pyreflies she had picked up in Kilika Temple were still residing within her, and that Mobius, for whatever reason, needed them to revive Sin. She must have fallen asleep after her head started hurting.

Tana had also said that the presence of another soul could cause strange dreams, she recalled. It was like she was the receiver for the images played on a sphere. The sphere was a conduit, channeling information and consciousnesses-essentially capturing the souls of those who appeared in the recording. Now she was doing the same, playing the scene in her head, but this scene seemed to be alive, much like the recordings of Blitzball games in Luca.

If this really was a dream, though… Wren closed her eyes for a moment, spreading her hands apart from each other, as if holding something between them. After a moment of concentrating, something popped into existence in the empty space, cold and slightly damp. A glass of water. She wasn't very good at that sort of trick, willing things to happen in her dreams, but these dreams seemed to be a special case.

She focused on the plant this time, attempting to make it disappear, just as a test, but nothing happened. The thought came into her head that she could probably really only change things that affected herself here, if this was someone else's dream. It was more control than she had over her current situation, though. She was unable to do much about things in the real world, where she was trapped in the Farplane.

"The Farplane?" asked a voice, softly, just in her ear.

Wren turned her head to see who had spoken, but there was no one there.

She set the glass down on the table, leaning back in her seat suspiciously, still looking around the room with her eyes.

"I don't have a physical form right now," the voice said. "I don't mean to frighten you, but you won't find me by looking."

Wren frowned at that. "Are you reading my mind?"

"A little bit. Sorry. I can only do it in this space, though. This is your dream, after all."

"Who are you?" asked Wren.

"A wandering spirit, these days," the voice said wryly. Wren decided the voice was a woman's. "I don't mean you any harm, in case you were wondering."

"I'm still a little suspicious," she admitted. "Not that you're dangerous, just of this whole thing."

"That is understandable," the voice said, this time giving a laugh. "I probably wouldn't like it very much if a spirit without any visible form started reading my mind, when I was alive, either."

So she was dead? Wren guessed that's technically what it meant to be a spirit, anyway, but… That was… creepy.

"It happens to us all eventually. But I can't say I'm really at peace with it yet, either," said the voice. "But… you mentioned the Farplane. You're trapped?"

"In the real world, yes…" said Wren, frowning. "We're in the lowest part of the valley. At least, from what we can see… It's so big. A person could get lost there forever. It's kind of scary, when you think about it. But there might be an exit none of us have found yet that we can reach."

"I wouldn't rule this world out as a fake, but I understand what you mean," it answered. "Can you show me where you are?"

"Show you?" asked Wren. "I… don't know. Sorry, I don't know what you mean."

"Try to shut out the rest of the dream for a few moments," it said, guiding her. "Try to imagine the place, and recreate it as best as you can. It… doesn't have to be exact, of course, but try."

Hesitantly, Wren decided to trust the spirit's advice, having no real reason not to. As she shut out the surrounding noise, the room around her started to go dark, as if fading out of existence, but she could still feel the worn finish of the table in front of her, still sitting at the chair in that bar.

"This is weird."

"That's alright. You've got it. Just keep focusing on the Farplane," it said. "Pyreflies are malleable reflections of consciousness and memories, you should have an easier time here. They're a little like a recording on a sphere. The reason you can beckon a lost soul to you in the Farplane, they react to your conscious thoughts. It's a lot like a dream, wouldn't you say?"

"Hold on, let me concentrate."

Slowly, the valley came into focus, some twenty or so feet above where she was in reality. She and the whole table appeared to be floating in the sky. Looking down, she could see where she had fallen asleep, and the other three were sitting around Tana's makeshift shelter. They were speaking, but even if Wren could hear them from here, she had a feeling it would be nothing but nonsense, if this was a dream. Seeing herself lying in the grass while she slept… was pretty weird.

"I only have this kind of power in the Farplane, so don't expect me to grant any wishes," said the voice. "But I'm going to open a door for you and your friends to leave."

"So we can go back to Djose Temple?" asked Wren, out loud now.

"If that's where you want to go back to."

"How?"

"The Farplane is also shaped by the wills of those around it, but only unconsciously. Sometimes, people like me… choose to leave. If our will is strong enough," it said. "I'm a little different from most spirits, and I can't call myself Unsent, either, but I am not living. I have a little more power here than most."

"Sorry, this is a little bit over my head," said Wren, still looking around. "I'm listening, though. I understand that you're trying to help me, so I guess how doesn't matter, but I don't understand why."

"As I said, I'm not Unsent, but I have an interest in the world of the living. I consider myself similar, but that's not what I am. My point is, I want you and your friends to be allowed to leave, and I have the ability to help, so I am."

"That's… a little confusing," said Wren, sinking slightly into the chair.

"We'll have a chance to talk some other time. I'm going to open the door now. So be sure to be ready to leave, when you wake up."

"Right now? Okay. Thank you…"

She was aware of a shining light appearing in the scene before her as she felt a hand on her shoulder in the real world.

Her consciousness faded back to her real body, and when she looked up, she was staring into Twill's face, uncovered by their usually layers of scarves.

"A portal out of here just appeared," they said, shaking her slightly. "I don't know where it will take us, but we can leave."

She sat up, disoriented. She looked up at the sky for a moment, shaking her head slowly. "It's… open?"

"Yes. Get up before it closes," they said, standing up again.

She felt like she was still dreaming, as she moved, but she grabbed her bedroll and her bag and stood up. She was moving a little slower than she would have liked, but at least she was getting her senses back.

Tana and Merris were frantically packing their things. Tana hadn't had much on her when she had fallen, but Merris had apparently gotten comfortable in the time Wren had been asleep.

Wren looked in the direction Twill was facing, seeing a shining arch in front of them. It was impossible to see where it would lead, but Wren knew without a doubt that this would at least take them back to Spira.

"You're the expert, right?" asked Tana. "Where's that thing going to take us if we go through it?"

"Djose," said Wren, without thinking.

"What… uh… makes you say that?" asked Twill, turning around.

Merris finally finished packing, tying his bag shut quickly as he followed them.

"I don't know," she said, shaking her head. She recalled the dream's events, mostly, but she still couldn't know for sure if she was right until they walked through it. She still couldn't be completely sure she could trust the spirit.

She was the first one to step forward, reaching a hand through the portal. "Nevermind. We need to move, if we want to get out of here."

Twill murmured in agreement, following her. The other two rallied behind them as well, stepping across the threshold one behind the other.

* * *

They were standing outside the temple.

"Huh…" grunted Wren, looking up at the floating boulders far above them.

"How did you know it would take us here?" asked Twill, looking at her.

"I, uh… I had a weird dream?" she offered. "There was someone talking to me, who said they were a spirit, and… they said they'd open a door. I mentioned Djose because it was the first thing that came to mind, but if I'd known it would really work, I might have said something more useful…"

"This happened because of a dream?" asked Twill, blinking.

"Because of the Pyreflies…" said Tana. "Mobius has been having these dreams for a while, from what I can tell. What else can a dream do?"

"It wasn't the dream, it was because of the spirit, who spoke to me in the dream," said Wren. "And… she said she could only do it because we were inside the Farplane. I don't think she has that much power outside of it."

"So we shouldn't worry about Mobius teleporting wherever he feels like it," said Tana, snorting. "Anyway, we should get going. I have a feeling I'm probably not supposed to be here."

"Do you want us to get anything from your house?" asked Merris. "You'll probably need some supplies if you're going to have to travel with us."

"No time," she said, shaking her head. "If anyone sees me here, word will spread. For right now, I don't want Mobius to know where I am. I suredon't want to start anything here. I've got a little money on me, I can buy supplies at the next stop. Until then, I've got my sword, and... way more woven grass bracelets than I need."

"The next real stop won't be until we reach Guadosalam," said Twill, securing their scarves over their head once again.

Tana started walking anyway. "Sure, and we can travel by chocobo to the Moonflow. Is there a problem?"

The rest of the group followed, heading down the trail away from town. "Well… I'm not exactly sure I'm welcome there anymore, but I only meant that it will be a while before we can get some real supplies. We still have to cross the river, and then it's still a bit of a walk from there."

"I've made the trip before, don't worry about me," said Tana. "What do you mean you're not welcome, though? Are you in trouble."

Twill briefly explained their history in the Guard, and their sudden, unsanctioned departure from Guadosalam.

"Yeah, I can see how that might be a problem," said Tana, frowning. "If you're still going anyway, all we can do is find out for ourselves, but the Guado have been through a lot since then. I bet things will be different from what you expect."

"Well, I hope so," said Twill. "If I really believed I was going to be in trouble when I arrived, without any doubt, I wouldn't go. I've heard some talk about what's been happening, so I've been hoping that I would be allowed to pass, with the confusion going around until relatively recently."

"We'll be alright," said Tana, nodding enthusiastically. "I'll put in a good word for you. I'm in pretty good with their leader, since Guadosalam trades with us."

As the others chatted, something else bothered Wren. She hadn't gotten a straight answer from the spirit who freed them about her identity. She had no idea who or what the spirit was, only that they had been alive at one point and weren't Unsent.

And, she realized, she'd forgotten to ask if it had anything to do with the dream that kept playing in her head. In her heart, she felt she could guess the name of that city on the sea, but she almost didn't want to think it. Exciting, but a little frightening. It was too strange, and in the confusion as the spirit tried to explain itself, she'd lost her head for a minute.

When she next had a chance, she would remember to try to get some real answers out of her, if she could. If she reappeared, that is.


	16. Ride ze Shoopuf?

"Why are we going away from Djose?" asked Merris, keeping his eyes on the path in front of his chocobo. "If our goal is to stop Mobius, we should be going back into town."

"Even if we stop Mobius here, without proof we're gonna make a lot of people upset, and we'd be in a lot of trouble," said Tana, who was squarely in front of the group.

"I don't like the word 'stop,'" said Wren. "But I don't think we can take him on right now anyway. He's got a lot of aeons, I don't know if we're strong enough…"

"It's too dangerous to take that gamble right now either way," said Tana.

"Yeah. And if we go after these pyreflies, we can cut him off. Stop anyone else from ever trying this again in the future," said Wren, murmuring mostly to herself.

As they were nearing the end of the ravine path, she huffed softly, a twisted expression on her face. "This all sounds crazy. I only came all this way to record as much of Spira's history as I could find, I didn't think I'd get caught up in all this…"

"A sane person would probably quit your company once they heard mention of Sin," said Twill. "But I feel a sense of duty. I couldn't leave you to handle this without any help, knowing what we might be up against."

"I might have left after we found Tana, but she's got her own ideas," said Merris, laughing. "So it looks like you're stuck with me. I want to get back at Mobius, too."

Tana hummed in agreement. "You'd be wrong if you thought I was going to let him get away with what he did to me. Not that preventing a crisis isn't enough motivation, though."

By the time they were making their way down the trail to the Moonflow, the sun was already starting to fall in the sky. It was still light out, but the sky was turning a familiar rose color already.

"I don't think we're going to make it across the Moonflow today," said Twill. "They stop running the Shoopuf crossing after dark."

"We'll see about that," said Tana. "But even if we don't make it, we have a head start against Mobius. Pretty sure he'll be in a hurry to leave, if he figures out what we're doing. And if he makes it to Bevelle before us…"

"What's in Bevelle?" asked Wren.

"Apart from a mountain of secrets? He's got an airship that he keeps there," said Tana. "The geography around Djose is too rocky, so he keeps it in Bevelle, where it was manufactured. But to be honest, I think it was just an indulgence. He's got too much money to blow. But if he finds out we plan to cut him off, he'll definitely be in a hurry to find the rest of the rogue pyreflies."

"We won't be able to keep up with him if he gets to the airship first," said Wren, nodding her head. "So… we'll have to do something about that too?"

"I've got something in mind," said Tana, grinning. "But for now, we'd better keep up our current pace, if we wanna beat him."

As the banks of the Moonflow finally came into view, they came upon a sight Wren had only seen once before. As the sun dimmed in the sky, more pyreflies became visible, gathering, naturally attracted to bodies of water. The river itself was no longer visible, the only proof of its existence the sound of gently lapping water slapping against the reeds and the rocks of the banks. Instead, the river was a stream of the souls of the dead, brightly illuminated by their celestial shimmer.

"I never get used to the Moonflow at night," said Twill. "In part because of the inconvenience of stopping here at night, but of all the places I could possibly be stuck until morning, this isn't so bad."

"We're not stuck yet ," huffed Tana, dismounting her chocobo. "Let me talk to the ferryman."

She passed her reins to Merris as he dismounted, leaving him standing between two birds eager to return to a comfortable stable. At once, they started attempting to wander off, forcing him to guide them along before he had really processed the task he had been given.

Twill and Wren watched Tana as she spoke to the hypello, who waved his hands in protest as he spoke. The conversation was just barely inaudible over the ambient sounds of the riverbank around them. Leaving Tana to handle her negotiations, they followed behind Merris, laughing softly at his plight as he led both birds to an empty stall in the station.

When their chocobos were safe inside the stable, waiting for the next set of travelers in need of a mount, they rejoined Tana, who seemed to be reaching an agreement. She turned to the rest of the group.

"He'll take us across, but it's going to cost double the usual fee," said Tana. "I'd take it, if I were you- if we got here any later, he would have been long gone. We're lucky he just got back to this side of the river."

"That's a little steep…" mumbled Wren, thinking.

The ferryman huffed, muttering something incomprehensible.

"Hey, he's doing this as a special favor to me as it is," said Tana, shaking her head. "I've got some money on me, I can cover anyone who needs it. Are we good to go, or not?"

"We don't have much choice," said Twill, nodding. They began fiddling around in their bag for their money. "We have to get ahead while we still can."

"I can pay for myself," said Wren, glancing apologetically at the ferryman as she reached for her bag.

They exchanged a small coin purse worth of gil for their passage, and the ferryman was surprisingly accommodating, for someone eager to return home for the night. One by one, the lift was operated, allowing each of them onto the shoopuf's carriage on its back. It was a tedious process, as they balanced their seating in the carriage, slowly maneuvering around each other and their bags, but they were soon on their way.

"The shoopuf must be tired too," said Wren, glancing out the side of the carriage to see the back of the creature's head. "I think this is the same one from when I was little. I feel a little bad for it for making it run so late."

"I guess you can't really explain the needs of the greater good to a shoopuf," said Merris, folding his arms while he thought about it. "But at least it'll get to turn in for the night once we're gone."

"We're running a little low on gil, after that," said Twill, frowning just a little. "I'm more concerned about how we have to proceed, of course, but we might have to take on hunting jobs on our way through Guadosalam…"

"We don't have time for that," said Tana, shaking her head. "But I know where we can stay for the night. There's a new business where the inn used to be. They'll let you stay the night for free if you help out. We'll lose a little bit of time there, but all we have to do is help with breakfast."

"It must be new," said Twill, yawning. "I've never heard of such a place."

"It's a fairly recent venture," she confirmed. "There's been a shuffling around of establishments, since the town was overrun a few years ago."

"Oh yes, I did hear that," they said, making a face behind their scarves. "Sphere hunters, weren't they?"

"Yep, after that big craze between the factions scrambling for movie spheres," said Tana, nodding. "The town was basically abandoned, so they moved in. Now that all that's over, there's finally some order again. They even reopened the Farplane entrance there."

"So the Guado have it back under control," hummed Twill. "Which means the guard has been reestablished…"

"Oh, yeah, I think so?" she said. "The sphere hunters backed down without much fuss once the Guado came back. I think it was because they were the only ones who could restore the Farplane entrance to the way it used to be, but the fact that the Guado actually had a claim to their homes might have had something to do with it too."

Twill shook their head slightly, rolling their eyes. "I can imagine. But that isn't what bothers me."

"You were in the guard before, right?" asked Wren.

"Yes… I can't really complain too much about my time spent there, but…"

"Seymour?"

"Uh, no, apart from that," said Twill, frowning deeply. "I had another reason for wanting to leave before that, that was just the point where I knew I didn't have a choice anymore."

"C'mon, you can tell us," nudged Merris gently.

"Well, it was just my mother," they said after a moment, tugging at one of their long sleeves. "She's… a fine parent. But it feels like she forgets there's a line between her duties and her home life. Um, she was a high ranking member of the guard."

"Is that why you joined?" asked Wren, leaning forward to wrest her elbows on her knees.

"A little. There was a lot of pressure on me when I was little to join the guard when I got older. So of course I did, but I was happy to do it," said Twill. "Things changed after that. My mother started to see me more as a young recruit with a legacy to live up to, rather than her child."

"Somehow the pressure to succeed and climb the ranks got heavier. I should have left sooner, but… I think I was waiting for an excuse." They swallowed, then gave a small short as they shook their head again. "Well, not that Seymour's arrival wasn't a good enough reason. If I hadn't been considering leaving before, I certainly was then, but I waited until things got worse before I made up my mind."

"It's good you got out when you did," said Tana, nodding her head. "I can't imagine what goes through the heads of people like him, or any other person in power who abuses their position. Neither of us were at Home when it was attacked, but every Al Bhed in Spira got the message."

"That the attack even happened is unforgivable," said Twill, looking to her. "Although… I heard that after the initial attack, the one who ordered the Al Bhed Home to be destroyed was Cid himself. I have never understood this. Is that true?"

Tana muttered under her breath, shaking her head. "Yes, it was. They took as many people as they possibly could on that airship they brought back, but the risk was way too high. The whole thing is a travesty. I don't know what he was thinking either. I hope I'm never that kind of leader to Djose. I won't put people's lives at stake for anything."

"You're already better off than either of them," said Twill. "Lives shouldn't have to be lost in order to save them. You have the resolve, and you've got the people's best interest in mind. You personally helped my people too. I think that says a lot about what kind of leader you are."

"I sure hope so," said Tana. "I never want this town getting tangled up in anything like Yevon politics. But it looks like it's already too late for that."

"That's why we're going to stop Mobius," said Merris, speaking up. "We'll take your town back. I don't care what his money is worth."

"The town is well enough off to support itself now," she said, grinning. "It might be a little harder at first, since we're still expanding, but we've got everything we need to stand on our own. Besides, I'm in good enough with old man Tromell to discuss our options when the time comes."

"Tromell?" asked Twill, blinking. "The… the royal steward?"

"Oh yeah, obviously there was no one to take over after Seymour disappeared," she said. "I guess he was the natural choice after that. I don't really know, I only started getting involved after Guadosalam started getting back on its feet."

"Tromell…" mumbled Twill, shaking their head. "You're right, I guess there probably wasn't anyone else."

The discussion was making Wren's head spin a little as she tried to organize the facts in her head, but she was listening intently. Somewhere along the line, she had started taking notes, using what little light was left to quickly scrawl them down.

The ride was coming to an end, the shoopuf settling into the opposite riverbank for the last trip of the day. Wren our her book away, looking out over the Moonflow. She took out her sphere camera, starting to record what she could, though she suspected the picture would be a little fuzzy.

"Going ashores?" called the ferryman. The platform to disboard the carriage was already raised for them to exit. In fact, her friends were already moving onto said platform.

Wren shuffled her bag around her camera carefully, moving beside them while still filming.

"Guadosalam isn't far from here," said Tana. "The walk isn't very long, but it gets dark inside the woods."

"I can light the way," said Wren, putting her camera away. "But if we run into any fiends…"

Tana patted the hilt of her sword on her hip. "We'll protect you, little bird. Just keep the path lit for us."


	17. Guadosalam

The path to Guadosalam wasn't long, but Tana had been right: there were plenty of fiends. Twill commented that it wasn't unusual, as the entrance to the Farplane was inside the town, but they had seen more action on the road than anticipated, especially since the entrance was being cared for again by the guard.

Wren could only keep her torch burning while the others took care of the fiends. She felt chills as she avoided the skirmish, all the while keeping the path lit.

Tana had an interesting way of moving while fighting, Wren noticed. It was fluid, and had a rhythm to it that reminded her of ocean waves. She was light on her feet, and though her attacks were undisciplined, she took advantage of the landscape and the timing of the attacks of the other two to quickly defeat any fiend before them. Wren couldn't get a good look at the sword in motion in the dim light, but she could see the light shimmering off of the nicks in the metal. It looked shorter than the average sword she'd seen in her whole life, and curved and broadened near the sword's tip. It was perfect for close range combat. She would make a note of that—it was difficult to cast around Merris' style of fighting already, she was lucky not to have singed him.

They neared Guadosalam with only mild scrapes and bruises.

Twill seemed hesitant to cross the threshold of the ancient tree hollow that marked the entrance of the town, but they followed nonetheless. They had quieted down considerably since they left the Moonflow, however. No one pushed the issue with them, tired and eager to get a soft bed for the night.

They went deeper underground, and Wren could see the roots and vines that made up the walls of the passage into town. It made for interesting architecture, and though it was too dark to see, she recalled it being bright and colorful, with stained glass that mimicked organic patterns of foliage.

Tana directed them to the inn, shuffling them through the door one at a time. They were blessed that the inn was so close to the entrance of the town.

There was a strangely dressed man sitting at the desk, tall and lanky. He was human, but it was difficult to tell from the way he was dressed head to toe in a strange purple garb, only his face visible. He seemed to be fighting off sleep himself.

"Room for the night?" he asked, stifling a yawn.

"There are four of us," said Tana, nodding.

"I see," the man replied, somewhat rudely as he opened the thick tome in front of him to a marked page. "It's good to see you're back in town, though I wasn't expecting you to bring such an entourage with you. Rumors from the grapevine mentioned that you had gone missing. What were you up to, I wonder?"

"Nothing, nothing, don't worry yourself about that," snorted Tana, waving her hand.

"I wasn't."

Tana ignored him. "Oh, but you know what? My friends and I here had to pay off the ferryman to take us across so late. We're a little short right now."

He sighed. "I take it you'll be staying for breakfast, then. There are never too many extra hands to go around in the kitchen. You'll arrive early, of course. The service lasts three hours."

"Do we have time for that?" asked Wren.

"We don't have a lot of choice, unless you want to sleep on the ground," said Tana, patting Wren's shoulder. "It will take time for Mobius to catch up to us, and breakfast is early enough that I'm not worried."

"Since we cleaned up a few fiends on the way here, I'll check the board," said Merris, nodding. "If we're lucky, we'll be able to pick up a couple bounty fees tomorrow."

He moved away from the group, checking a sign along the wall to the right of the door. There was a small bulletin board with scrawlings of fiends or lists promising rewards. He began scanning it for anything pertinent to them, pointing with his finger while he searched.

The man at the desk cleared his throat, a little too obnoxiously, tapping a pen on the guestbook. "Sign here, please."

Each one of them signed their name in the book. Wren signed last, looking at what Twill had written. It was difficult to read, almost illegible, but it most certainly did not say Twill's name. Had they intentionally written a pseudonym? Or was their handwriting really just that bad?

They were pointed to their room, and Twill rotated between healing the three who had been fighting the way there.

"We may still be sore tomorrow, so be sure to get plenty of rest," said Twill. "Although the bruising should mostly be gone."

Tana rocked back in her seat briefly, thinking. "Are you gonna be alright working tomorrow?"

"Oh, right, about that…" said Twill, frowning. "What exactly is involved in kitchen duty?"

"It's just a couple of hours— I've never actually done what we're doing right now, because I usually have more time to prepare before I leave on my trips here. But it's exactly what it sounds like: cooking, cleaning, serving the food," she said. "We'll be able to split the work up pretty evenly, since there's already four of us, plus the regular staff."

"I would prefer to stay in the kitchen as much as possible," said Twill, removing their extra layers. "I want to leave as soon as we can. And I won't be able to stay hidden while we're working."

"We can work something out," said Tana, smiling weakly. "Oh, uh… also, the meal is served inside the mansion, in the gathering area. It's not usually very crowded, and all we really have to do is put food on people's plates, so we may even get to leave early."

"Not great," said Twill. "But that's about what I expected. There aren't many places to hold large gatherings."

"I'm sorry about this," said Wren, rubbing at her cheek as she listened.

Twill glanced at her. "It's not your fault. I'm the one who decided to be like this. But I do want to make this as painless as possible. I'd rather put off seeing anyone I know for as long as I can."

They murmured among themselves for a while longer before going to sleep, deciding the sleeping arrangements arbitrarily.

* * *

The next day, they were let into the mansion with no problem. As they made their way to the kitchen, there was a woman darting back and forth between stations in the kitchen, cleaning things as she went along setting out cooking instruments for the morning.

She wasn't particularly dressed for working in the kitchen, which was odd, since she did seem to be doing that. Would the three of them be the only ones to serve for the day?

"Oh, good, you're here," she said, putting a hand on her hip as she stepped back from what she was doing. "The usual kitchen staff is late, so I came here to give instruction myself. They should be here soon, if they plan on keeping their jobs."

None of them really knew how to respond to that, but Tana didn't miss a beat, stepping forward to continue the woman's efforts, and the others followed suit.

"This is Leblanc," said Tana, removing her coat and setting it aside to get to work. "She runs the inn herself. Obviously, that includes the soup kitchen."

"I don't normally get my hands dirty in the kitchen, it's not really my area of expertise," said Leblanc, directing them to the ingredients she had laid out for the day's meal. "But if the staff is a no-show, I'm the only one left to handle things. I don't want to think about what would have happened if the four of you hadn't shown up last night."

Twill removed their layers and began to help finish what Leblanc started as they all dispersed. "It sounds like you'll need someone to stay in the kitchen and manage things. Luckily, I'm at least a half decent cook. If you can direct me, I can make sure it gets done."

"Oh, good, at least one of you has the right attitude," said Leblanc, glad for someone to cooperate so eagerly. "Not to worry-I'll be overseeing your work here until my staff arrives."

As she turned to look at the one who had spoken, she eyed Twill a little oddly, like she was thinking, but she said nothing else. She was distracted when Wren brushed past her a little too closely in the narrow passage between countertops, scowling even when the poor girl began apologizing profusely.

The other two expected regular staff members arrived minutes later, dodging Leblanc's scolding by hurrying her back out of the kitchen so they could get to work.

Things ran much more smoothly from there, and all six workers in the kitchen prepared breakfast for the people beginning to gather in the mansion. Twill managed to avoid leaving the kitchen by displaying competency in the area, to the delight of the two Guado workers. The spread was laid out, then the customers formed a line, and each one received a plate in succession, until the flow of people trickled to a stop.

Breakfast was nearly over.

Wren stood beside the food table, helping herself, now that everyone else had been helped. She hadn't realized how hungry she had been, after preparing and watching everyone else get their food.

As she stood by the table, absently noshing from the plate she'd gotten for herself, she spotted someone moving into the kitchen. She wasn't really sure what the rules were on that, so she debated saying nothing to stop the official-looking Guado. Until she saw three more people following a few seconds behind them.

She set her plate down, running after the group to see what was happening.

"Twill-" she gasped out quietly.

The four Guado surrounded them, two grabbing them by their arms, pulling tightly behind their back so it was painful to move.

Twill's expression was pure frustration, but they did nothing, going limp in the arms of the guards.

"What are you doing?" asked Wren, raising her voice so she could be heard over the noise of what was barely a struggle. "What's going on?!"

Twill didn't answer, instead turning their head away from Wren.

The guards started to take Twill away, dragging them out of the kitchen and across the room to who knew where.

Wren followed after them as far as she could, to the back of the gathering hall, where the door was shut in her face. She turned back around to look around the room.

There were few people left in the room, besides the staff. The one or two Guado still there for breakfast seemed intent on minding their own business, but they had certainly noticed the scene. She spotted Tana and Merris, who appeared to have been chattering in the corner quietly until moments ago. Their faces were as confused as hers.

For a moment, none of them moved.

Then, the door in the back of the room opened once more.

The person who entered the room was an elderly Guado woman, whose age only truly showed in her face, but her posture was stiff, almost shriveled. She wore the same uniform as the other guards, but more ornate, with harsher shoulders and a unique trim not present on the regular uniforms. Her hair was a somewhat unusual shape, an even dustier pink that ended in a single horn, rather than branching off into multiple locks, as was common. She appeared to be tired, or perhaps very worried, and she rubbed at the marks left by crescent-shaped spectacles at her nose.

She looked to Wren, then followed her eyes to where Merris and Tana stood, and beckoned them with one hand.

"My name is Fennel," she said, when they approached her. "There seems to have been a misunderstanding, but I understand that you are traveling with Twill?"

They nodded slowly, unsure of what to say.

"What's going on?" asked Tana, narrowing her eyes. "Why was Twill taken away?"

"As I said, there's been a misunderstanding," said Fennel, shaking her head. "I am in charge of the Farplane guard, yet I did not make the order. It seems someone mentioned Twill's presence to the wrong person. Twill will be released, but I do need to ask you all some questions. Please come with me."

Tana held her tongue for the moment, not wishing to make things worse.

As Fennel turned away, the three of them followed behind her, through the door, into the next room. Into a secret room below the main floor of the mansion.

It didn't surprise Wren that a place like this had a creepy underground room underneath its leader's home, but she wished going down into them wasn't becoming a regular occurrence.

It appeared to be the guards' barracks, from the looks of things. There were more guards down here than she'd seen anywhere else in the town, but even here, it was more obvious there were not very many of them, at least compared to the numbers she had seen in Luca.

Fennel led them to a room that branched off of the others. Inside was a comfortable looking sitting area, two more guards, and Twill, seated on one of the comfortable cushions on the floor.

"Twill!" said Wren, running to them. She landed on her knees on the cushion beside them, and threw her arms around their shoulders. "Are you alright?"

Twill gave a startled gasp when she threw her weight against them, but patted her arm gently. "I'm... a little confused, but I'm fine."

Merris took a seat beside the two of them, while Tana opted to stand as they entered the room.

Fennel allowed each of them inside before dismissing the guards and closing the door behind them. She took a seat across from the group, and as she did, Tana decided to sit as well, less on edge when it felt more obvious that she really did only want to talk.

"Oh," said Twill, understanding the situation. "I see you've met my mother."


	18. Twill

"I want to apologize again," said Fennel, Twill's mother. "I received word that someone had spotted you here, working in the kitchen, and that they had restrained you where you stood, completely without warning. I gave the order for them to release you, but the damage was done. I had no intention of us meeting again like this. I am deeply sorry."

"Well, I am a known deserter," said Twill bitterly, sitting on the cushion across from her. "I guess that means you weren't the one who gave the order to restrain me."

The room they were all seated in was a nice little meeting place, with a low table in the center. The five of them sat around it in a circle, but it looked like it could seat twice that. It was mostly used as the Guard's break room, but it cleared out for special occasions, as it was originally meant for diplomatic discussions. Such talks were more uncommon as the Guado had considerably loosened its grip on Spiran politics, between the establishment of the Council, and Yevon becoming less popular. Fennel considered this to be a special occasion.

"No, I wasn't. We are no longer seeking deserters of the previous era," she said, shaking her head. "There is no room for leftover ideals from Seymour's brief regime. You and any others have been cleared of the accusation some time ago. I will find whoever did give the order."

Twill pinched their forehead with one hand, frowning. "I know you will, but I doubt you can make up for what just happened just with a stern talking-to. I don't need whoever was responsible to be punished, I just need to know it won't happen again."

"Of course."

"So what have you called us here for? After they stopped treating me like a criminal for escaping the rule of a man unfit to lead, they brought me here," said Twill.

"I'm sorry for that too," said Fennel, sighing. "There are a few who still believe in Seymour's ways, even after our exile from Guadosalam. I'll take care of it."

"First, please introduce me to your friends," she said, looking between the faces of the group. "I recognize Tana, but I don't believe I've met these two."

"This is Wren, a sphere recorder from Luca, and Merris," they answered, gesturing to each of them. "I've been journeying with them for a short while now, but it's very important that we leave here as quickly as possible, Mother. I don't have time to catch up."

"I have to say that I'm a little hurt," said Fennel. "I know that our relationship has been strained for a number of years, but I'm quite surprised you would come back here without seeing me for even a moment."

"It's… very complicated," said Twill. "But you can't say that you expect me to be very happy after being kidnapped, anyway, we aren't sure of the details, but I really don't want to involve anyone else. Not even you."

Fennel glanced at the others again, as if looking for an answer, but they seemed uncertain they should answer, between her and Twill.

Tana spoke up. "Mobius is up to something. I shouldn't say anything that will endanger anyone here, but we're on our way to Bevelle, and it's very important that we get there before he does. If he reaches Bevelle first, we might all be in a lot of trouble."

"Mobius?" asked Fennel. "I've never met the man myself, but I have heard of him and his group. Guadosalam has been… distrustful, of the old ways, since the start of the Eternal Calm, so it doesn't really surprise me to hear that a group affiliated with Yevon could be causing trouble."

"I don't know if you're aware, but I have the highest authority under Lord Tromell. If there is something to be investigated, I can see that it's done," she said, her voice lowering.

"I didn't know that," said Twill, cutting their eyes to the side, staring at the wall past Fennel. "But I can't stress how dangerous this situation might be. Right now, we need to act as covertly as possible. Please don't get involved."

Fennel pursed her lips into a line, but sighed. "I shouldn't look the other way, if it's truly that important."

"Would it help to consider this a chance to make up for forgetting how to behave like family once I became eligible to enroll in the guard?" they asked. "I need you to forget your duties for just a moment. If you act on your own, you might endanger my friends and me, and that might endanger you and everyone here."

"Twill…" she sighed. "I'm sorry I put so much responsibility on you, but you must know what this sounds like to me. I haven't seen you in years-you tell me that everyone here could be in great danger, but I'm supposed to ignore it? And you aren't even sure of the situation you're in?"

Wren opened her mouth to interject. "Um… I don't really know about your history, so I don't want to get involved and step out of line, or anything, but… Ma'am? It really is important that we leave. The reason we stayed for breakfast is because we couldn't afford the night here, and had to pay it off somehow. If we are being followed, we could lose a lot of time here. It's really risky, but we need things to stay quiet, so we can get to Bevelle before Mobius even realizes what we're up to."

"I know there must be no way to guarantee your safety, but couldn't I at least convince any of you to tell me what it is you're up against?" said Fennel, looking at Wren.

"It's… hard to say," said Wren. Neither she nor Merris seemed to want to step on Twill's toes by telling Fennel more than they should.

Twill glanced away for a moment again, then sighed. "We don't know exactly, yet. But we've found out that Mobius is planning to somehow undo the Eternal Calm and revive Sin."

The look on Fennel's face went from shock to horror. She glanced over her shoulder the closed door, as if she was glad that she had dismissed the guards only minutes earlier.

"Please tell me why I shouldn't get involved in this," she said, suddenly quiet again. "If someone stops him before he makes his attempt, then there will be nothing to worry about."

"You can't," said Wren, shaking her head. "Even if you imprisoned him, he's been creating his own Fayth. I saw the Fayth stones under his home myself, there were about seven of them. It would be too dangerous…"

Fennel's mouth hung open for a moment while she thought. "How will you handle it, then? What will you do that my guard cannot?"

"We will cut him off. If he wants to revive Sin, he needs to collect a number of unusual Pyreflies, which he has absorbed into himself. We don't know exactly why this is, but Wren and I both have one of them within us already. We can collect them before he gets to them, and then he won't be able to finish what he started," said Tana.

"We think," echoed Wren, though she was doubtful about the nature of Tana's pyreflies. "I don't know much about it myself… We're trying to piece all of this together."

"I… suppose I will keep this to myself, then," said Fennel, frowning deeply. Her lips were pursed into a tight line. "I wish that I could try to stop him when he arrives here, but if it will endanger you, then my best attempt isn't enough."

"Thank you," said Twill, bowing their head in relief. Their shoulders relaxed considerably, as if they had only realized just how tense their posture had been.

"This is a heavy secret to keep," she said, rubbing her neck with one hand tenderly. "Perhaps if I had raised you differently…"

"Now isn't the time, Mother," they said, folding their hands together. "We could talk about this after things calm down, but right now we really have to go."

Twill got to their feet, stretching their shoulders for a moment. They still seemed troubled on some level, but also somehow relieved that this discussion was overwith.

"If you let us go now, do we still have to finish our kitchen duty before we can leave?" asked Merris.

"It was clearing out when we left, and I sure don't want to lose anymore time," said Twill in agreement, shrugging.

"I don't know how happy that woman will be about it," said Fennel, shaking her head. "But honestly, I doubt she will try to stop you from leaving. The worst she could do is blacklist you from the inn until you pay your fee. I'll take care of the fee myself, of course."

"Thank you," said Twill, sighing.

"It's really the least I can do," she said, getting to her feet.

When she stood, the others rose to their feet as well, looking a little uncertain.

"Please notify me at once if you need anything. I will offer whatever aid I can," said Fennel.

"Will do," said Merris, stretching. "I'm not sure if we're going to need help, but we barely know what we're getting into. It's not a very short trip through the Thunder Plains, either. You don't think you could slow Mobius down if he comes after us, do you?"

"He could always travel by boat," said Fennel, frowning. "Though the trip wouldn't be much shorter… If he does come this way, I doubt I will be able to do anything without arousing his suspicion. I've never seen the man myself, as I said before. It would be more suspicious if I did interfere with him."

"If Mobius does come this way, please act like nothing is different," said Tana, firmly. "Don't tell anyone else to even be on the lookout for him. It's too dangerous to try to stop him."

"We'll let you know if anything changes." Twill nodded as well. "We should be going."

Fennel stepped aside, pushing the door open to let them out. She led them once again, past the gathering hall and to the main entryway of the mansion. Wren took a moment to gaze at the many paintings that decorated the stairways on either side of the curving room. Each one appeared to be the leader of the Guado, from the time the painting was placed on the wall. It felt weird, having all of those eyes on her, and some of the later ones had particularly unsettling eyes. Somehow this room managed to stay intact, even after it was taken over and the Guado had abandoned it, it appeared.

"Please be safe," said Fennel, as the doors were opened before them. "The Thunder Plains have been under control lately, but that's not to say it's completely safe. And there is the nature of your journey…"

Twill nodded. "I think we'll be alright. Thank you for worrying about me."

"Will you come home after this, just for a visit?" asked Fennel. "We can discuss things then. What you're doing is far more important, I agree… but afterwards, I would like to see you again on better terms."

"Probably," they said, starting to pass the threshold of the door. "But for now we really have to go. I'll… see you then, I guess."

The group collected their things from the inn, then made their way to the edge of the town.

"Oh, I think I left my scarves in the kitchen," said Twill, turning around to look in the direction they had come from.

"Do you want to go back?" asked Merris. "I can run back and get them for you myself, if you want."

"No, it's fine. I guess I don't really need them, since I know I'm not in any trouble," they said, frowning. "I just want to leave here as quickly as possible."

"That's fair," said Tana, patting them on the shoulder as she passed. "Maybe someone will hold onto them for you. At least now you'll be able to move a lot more freely without them."

Twill laughed as they walked. "It's been some time since I've used my spear as a spear. I might be a little rusty with it, but I'm confident that it's better than my black mage skills. I doubt I'll be abandoning my magic completely, though."

"That's a lot of people to worry about hitting," murmured Wren, blinking for a moment. "I only know one type of offensive spell, too."

"Oh, I'd forgotten," said Twill. "I can teach you water magic, if you'd like. We'll probably need it, in the Thunder Plains."

Indeed, as they were walking through the increasingly thinning woods, Wren could hear the rumble of thunder in the distance. "I'll need more than just water if we run into Mobius…"

"I have a basic knowledge of the different elements, so I can teach you those as well, but let's just focus on what we need for now," they said.

"And," they added, gesturing to Merris and Tana. "If you're so worried about the rest of us, maybe we should teach these two how to use magic too. With more range, you won't have to worry about hitting anyone."

"I can use a little?" offered Merris, shrugging. "But I mostly use it to make myself a little more resilient during a fight. I bet you might have noticed I almost never take a hit from bigger, slower fiends. I don't think I can do anything like shooting lightning out of my hands, though."

"No way," said Tana, shaking her head. "I know how to wound a fiend badly enough to make it easy for others to take out, but I've never been any good when it comes to magic. I don't need it."

"You can't use any magic?" asked Wren, blinking.

Tana shrugged. "Well, you know. All I've ever needed is my sword. I've never spent a lot of time around any mages, so it's not like anyone could show me. Besides, I can use special gems set in my sword to deal extra elemental damage to special fiends."

"Wait, really?" asked Merris, leaning over to look at the hilt of her sword tucked into its sheath. "I thought those were for decoration. I would have asked for special gauntlets or something a long time ago if I'd known I could be hitting harder with fancy crystals."

"Nah, the gems are pretty hard to get, except from certain fiends," said Tana. "They're some kind of natural magic. I've only got a few of them myself, I couldn't make anything for you without them."

"Well, we'll just have to find more," said Merris, pretending to be offended. "Then you can make up for it."

"Sure, if we can spare the time. Once we get to Bevelle we won't be in nearly as much of a hurry," said Tana, snorting. "The trick is to get the gems before the fiend fades away."

"How do you do that?" asked Merris, blinking.

"With practice," she said, shoving him. "I know what I'm doing."

While they teased each other, Wren found herself thinking about other things. She was happy for Twill, but at the same time she was worried about what they had imparted to Fennel as well. As long as Fennel kept her word, there shouldn't be any trouble, but that wasn't quite what worried her either. Ever since Djose, those dreams had been weirder, and she didn't know what connected them to the current situation with Mobius. Tana said she never had dreams like that, but Mobius did. It wasn't a coincidence, she knew that, but she had no idea what it meant for her.

What were they going to do about him, anyway? Gather the pyreflies, but then what? Was that enough to stop Mobius? She would have to talk it over with the others once they knew more. Their first order of business seemed to be to take care of the airship.


	19. Stone in Motion

The rain first started as a fine mist, at a distance, then came a light drizzle. The sound of rolling thunder could be heard faintly even from Guadosalam, but here it was always present. Though the group had left Guadosalam feeling lighter, the rain did little to improve their moods further.

"There's no way around the Thunder Plains, or else we wouldn't come this way," said Tana, disgruntled over her ruined hair.

"But Mobius will have to come this way too," offered Wren, laughing at the image of the man soaked to the bone through his many layers of clothing, and his bare midriff. She doubted even the airship could be flown here, with the sky in such a state. It would be too dangerous. She laughed a little at that as well, somewhat morbidly.

The towers that protected travelers from the violent flashes of lightning were in view, but some distance off. The lush wooded area had become barren, rocky, and drowned. The mud squelched unsatisfyingly under their feet as they wandered the landscape, huddled together to keep from losing the group.

The thunder meant it was rare to see a chocobo as well. There had been sightings of wild chocobos on the plains before, but the birds were too jittery to be tamed, and were usually lost somewhere between the Calmlands and the Highroad. Traveling on foot was the only way to get through the watery desert, and naturally the only place to stop and rest was the Travel Agency halfway through.

The heaviness of the rain varied between times of the year, but it had become so thick it was difficult to see very far ahead of them. Wren was grateful for the markers that helped them stay on the road, or else there would be no other indicator of the well traveled path, since any footprints or wear would be washed away immediately by the storm. With the many fiends on the trail, it was too easy to get turned around.

Twill had been right to try to show Wren the basic lightning spells they knew, because her fire would have been understandably useless in the rain. The fiends in the area were a mixed bag of clashing elements, both those that thrived off of electricity, and the mucky environment created by the waters itself. Wren picked the spells up more quickly than she thought she would, and the two mages were driving the monsters away from the group with ease.

They had traveled in silence until the Agency was in sight.

Merris peered at something he could only barely make out, his whole face scrunched up as he tried to see through the rain.

"I think I see someone lying on the ground," he said, raising his voice so he was audible.

Without any further explanation, he sprinted ahead of them, splashing through the mud to reach a crumpled heap Wren could now make out as well. She dashed after him.

There appeared to be an old man lying in the mud. He was lucky that he had landed so that his face was propped up by his arm, a mere few centimeters from the water, but he appeared to be breathing.

Merris shook him gently, but there was no response.

"We have to get him inside," he said.

He turned the man over, then scooped him up in his arms. The mud flecked against his skin and clothes now didn't bother him as he made his way to the Travel Agency, shielding the old man from the rain as best as he could. The other two put the pieces together and followed behind them, eager to get out of the rain as well.

It was dangerous to stray very far from the path when the storms got heavy like this, as they created uneven ground and pitfalls. The water would sometimes appear more shallow than it really was, and it was unadvised at any time for anyone to travel alone. What had the old man been doing? He was close to the Agency, but hadn't been facing it at all, and wasn't far off the trail. Perhaps he had slipped, or tripped over hidden debris in the mud… As long as he was breathing, they had to help him.

When they entered the Agency, the Al Bhed woman behind the counter shouted at first, alarmed by the collapsed man in Merris' strong arms. She jumped over the counter to meet them, then directed the group to a back room that seemed to be dedicated to first aid, in case of emergencies like this.

There was a cot in the room for them to stretch the old man out on, which they did so at once.

Wren could see his chest was still rising and falling, if shallowly. Was he coming to?

Twill sat beside the cot, making a strange face. Their hands were outstretched, as if preparing to heal the man, but they seemed uncertain about something.

"This man is Unsent," they said, frowning.

"Wait… really?" asked Tana, blinking as she looked at him. "He's still breathing… Do Unsent need to breathe?"

"I don't know, I've only met one once before," said Twill, shaking their head. "We were right to be concerned for his safety either way, but I don't think it's very likely he was in any real danger."

"He didn't feel any different from a regular person," said Merris, in awe. "How can you tell?"

"It's, um… Hard to explain," said Twill. "I don't think Unsent are really very different from the living, except that they don't exactly feel right. It's almost like they have this… smell? The Farplane has a unique feeling to it. I sense it on Wren, but this man exudes it. If we had left him lying where he was, or we reached him too late… I bet he would have found a way back from the Farplane again. Something must be keeping him from moving on, for him to be here in the first place."

"That's kind of scary…" said Wren, though she somehow didn't feel surprised. "Should we do something? You can perform a sending, can't you, Twill?"

Twill thought for a moment. "I don't know if it's right to send someone who doesn't want to be sent. He isn't like the souls we send before their negative feelings can create fiends. I would like to at least wait until he wakes up to understand the situation."

"What? Isn't the point of the sending to prevent people from ending up like him?" asked Tana. "Things from the Farplane don't belong in Spira. Just like the living don't belong in the Farplane. It will do things to your mind…"

"I would normally agree with you, but… to be honest, I'm sort of curious. The only Unsent I've met before was Seymour Guado, and I can imagine the reasons for which a corrupt person in a high position of power might stay behind," said Twill. "But this man, I don't recognize. I don't think he's anyone so famous, or infamous, as the case might be. I would like to talk to him first."

"Then you'll send him?" asked Tana.

"I might," they said.

The man started to stir.

Wren felt a chill, almost, though she didn't feel threatened. It was strange knowing this man was not among the living… but not surprising.

He opened his eyes, which darted around the room, as if confused. He was squinting, Wren realized, and she wondered if his eyes weren't very good. Could a ghost need glasses? She guessed he wasn't really a ghost.

"Where am I?" he asked, his voice slightly hoarse.

He had kind eyes that were almost vacant, and he wore long robes that were no doubt going to chill him to the bone if they weren't removed quickly. His hair was quite thin on top, and short, but his beard was quite long. By his face Wren could tell he was very, very old.

"It's the Travel Agency, in the Thunder Plains," she said.

He made a small sound as if lamenting something. "I suppose I must have collapsed again?" he asked.

Merris and Tana shared an expression that seemed like they wanted to ask "again?" but neither of them wanted to say it out loud.

Twill nodded. "It seems that way. We found you and brought you here. I was going to try to heal you, if you were injured, but given your current status I wasn't sure if I should…"

"My what…?" started the old man, confused for a moment. He cleared his throat. "Ah, yes. I sometimes forget that my body is slightly different from most denizens of the living world. It must sound unsettling for me to say it that way, but when you've walked the planet for as long as I have, the difference is difficult to notice after some time. I apologize for the inconvenience."

"You didn't do anything wrong," assured Twill. "I would rather have realized it now than left you behind. I don't make it a habit to condemn people to death."

"Even if their day came so long ago," offered the old man, chuckling warmly. "What are your names? I'm quite forgetful these days, but I make it a point to remember every face I've ever known, especially when I owe them quite a debt."

"I'm Tana, and this is my brother, Merris, who carried you here." Tana seemed wary still, but she was willing to be polite. He did seem pretty harmless.

"My name is Twill."

"I'm Wren."

Her voice was almost timid, but it was only because of what Twill said. The man was definitely Unsent, and somehow she felt it was well. Maybe Tana could feel it too; it certainly explained her nervousness.

The man smiled from where he was lying on the cot. He seemed to be about to say something, but he paused after a moment, then looked between them.

"This is a bit embarrassing to ask, but could one of you possibly help me sit up? These clothes are quite heavy when wet, and I must admit I still feel a bit weak," he said.

Wren moved forward, helping him as best as she could while he tried to support himself. He patted her hand on his shoulder once he was upright, smiling, and at once seemed reminded of something.

"My name is Maechen," he said finally, nodding proudly. "I'm a wandering scholar, as it were. An amateur collector of stories, theses, and factoids."

"A scholar?" asked Wren, blinking. "That's perfect, actually. Maybe you can help me with my research?"

"What research?" asked Maechen. He reached to the top of his head for something that didn't appear to be there, to his dissatisfaction. Had he been wearing a hat before?

"Yes, you see, I'm making a sphere movie that I want to put together to showcase some of Spira's history. It's about the lives of summoners as they traveled across Spira on their pilgrimage. You must know a lot about that, right?"

Maechen beamed suddenly, as if he had been waiting for such an opportunity his whole long life. "Of course! I have seen countless summoners to their various destinations. Of course, you must know most pilgrimages end prematurely, for one reason or another, but it isn't all bad. I have made it a point to shake hands with every journeying party over the years as I've met them… I even had the privilege of meeting a couple of our high summoners, including Lady Yuna."

Tana looked down at her wet clothes, then at Wren, and smiled politely to Maechen. She apologized, but she really wanted to get out of those clothes, and they still hadn't yet checked into the Agency. She excused herself from the room. Merris followed after her. Wren couldn't blame them for not being interested in the subject of conversation, but she was enthralled. Twill seemed to be taking it all in slowly as well.

"You met Lady Yuna?" asked Wren, blinking. "Who else? Another high summoner? Was it Lord Braska?"

"No, no. Well, yes, actually, I did meet young Braska, as well as his two accompanying guardians," said Maechen, thinking. "But my memory goes far beyond that. I believe I had the honor of meeting Lord Gandof, long, long ago…"

"The very first High Summoner? That was over four hundred years ago," said Twill, frowning. "Wasn't it?"

"Um, I think so," said Wren. "It took almost half a millennium before anyone defeated Sin after Lady Yunalesca, so… If he was the first after her, that is a very long time."

Maechen nodded once again. "It was more than a lifetime ago. I consider myself very lucky to have witnessed so much of Spira's incredible history."

"I'm sorry if this is rude, but… how long have you been Unsent?" asked Twill.

"Ah…" said Maechen, frowning. "You know? I can't recall. It's been far longer than that. I mentioned my memory is quite spotty. A side effect for remaining in this world for so long, perhaps. I don't… recall how it is that I died. It's just as likely that I passed in my sleep as in my travels. I can't seem to remember which came first… But I can tell you that I am originally from Zanarkand, if that gives you any idea of the frame of time in which I lived."

Wren's breath hitched. The city lights flashed through her head as if spanning it from one side to the other in only a matter of seconds. "Zanarkand?"

"Yes, indeed. The ancient civilization of the most powerful summoners in all of history… though I am not one myself. My interest in the practice was purely academic. I didn't really have a knack for it."

"Still, that's incredible," she said. "You have a firsthand account of… pretty much all of recorded history!"

"Well, thank you. I am rather proud of my collection myself, but as I mentioned, my memory isn't what it once was…" he said, humming to himself. "I don't know how useful I could truly be to you."

"Oh, that's alright. Maybe I could go over some questions with you before we leave," said Wren. "I'll try to keep them short."

He stroked his beard for a moment, thinking. "Yes, perhaps if you had any specific questions, it could jog my memory. As far as my wellbeing goes, I am quite well. It's just that I've misplaced my glasses, and my hat. I must have lost them in the rain…"

"I can find them for you," said Twill, getting to their feet. "If you had them on when you were outside, I'll look around the place where we found you."

"Thank you," said Maechen, nodding his head appreciatively. "You've done more than enough for me already. I am truly grateful to you all."

Twill bowed their head, then turned to head back outside to retrieve Maechen's belongings.

Wren watched as the other left her alone with the old scholar. Tana actually poked her head in the doorway to check on them, then nodded when Twill passed her, turning away as well. It seemed they were going to go search together. Probably for the better. Wren knew Twill could take care of themself, but it was certainly safer not to be alone.

"And you, young lady…" said Maechen, pulling Wren out of her nervous thoughts. "You have something special too, don't you? I only realized a moment ago… but you feel familiar, somehow."

"Familiar…?" asked Wren, blinking. "I don't know… Have we met before?"

"Perhaps. I've been nearly everywhere at some point or another," he said, thinking. "Perhaps, when you were younger?"

"Um… I did move to Luca from Bevelle when I was about ten or eleven. My mother was a recorder for the warrior monks at Operation Mi'ihen," she said. But something was bothering her too.

"Oh… A sphere recorder in Bevelle?" asked Maechen. "There must be many… but your mother… what was her name?"

"Oma."

"Oma… Yes, that sounds right. I recall a young mother and her little daughter, clinging to her leg when a stranger approached. This was on the road from Djose… There was no town then, so it must have been… at least six years ago," he said, thinking.

"Really?" asked Wren, giving an embarrassed laugh. "I'm afraid I don't remember, I'm sorry."

"It's quite alright. I only spoke to your mother for a moment, she asked me how long it was until the Travel Agency," he hummed. "But you said she was at Mi'ihen, did you…?"

Wren's expression fell, and she nodded, shrugging a little. "Yeah, she was. Um… it's alright. It's just me now."

"I should apologize," he said. "I didn't realize."

She shrugged again. Then she paused, thinking of something else, anything else. There was something that had been on her mind, she realized, as she stared at the dull colored fabric of the cot Maechen was seated on.

"Actually, I have a question," she said as she looked up. "It's not really about my research, though… I, um… Something strange happened to me recently. You must know a lot about Pyreflies, right?"

"I suppose I should," he answered, nodding. "It's not as though life's secrets have been opened to me, through death, but I know enough. What is it?"

"Well…" Wren started, glancing to the side. She started to recount her story to him, as well as Tana, and the state they had found her in. She left out the details of Mobius' involvement, apart from the strange dreams he seemed to share with her. She also neglected to mention the apparent nature of the Pyreflies, and the reason they were looking for more of them in addition to completing her film.

Maechen sat back for a moment while he thought.

His pensive silence made her feel uncomfortable, and she started to stare around the corners of the room to avoid it. She counted the empty cots in the room, of which there were three. There were no windows, as it was already grey outside and they probably feared the gloom outside would only depress their guests, particularly if they were unwell. Instead, the room was brightly colored, and on the walls were decorated plates depicting floral designs. It was tactically comforting.

"These dreams… The city," he said finally. "I think you must already know where it is. It sounds like you've been through a lot, so I can't say I blame you for seeking a different answer."

"Yeah, I think so," admitted Wren. "You think it's Zanarkand, too?"

"Based on your description… No other such city exists in Spira anymore," he said, nodding. "If it were Luca, or Bevelle, you lived in both places for a short time, I would think you would be able to identify them if it was either one. But there aren't any other cities that could possibly fit that description. I can see it so clearly in my mind… I don't have any doubt that you're witnessing someone else's memories."

"Memories of a whole city?" she asked.

"Well, you did say it was a dream," said Maechen, waving his hand. "I don't think anyone who has ever lived could have a perfect memory, but if someone was familiar enough, it would be easy to create such a replica in a vision. And anywhere they might not be so familiar with, you might be filling in with your own imagination."

"Maybe so," she agreed. Maybe…

"Or, perhaps it is that these Pyreflies, if there are really a great deal of them similar to each other, the memories belong to more than one person," he said, thinking. "I suppose that would make sense, given the erratic nature of their souls."

"If that's true, that's pretty scary," said Wren, frowning. "I feel like I should feel lucky to be able to see the ancient city of pre-war Zanarkand with my own eyes, but… One person's memories are bad enough."

"I don't mean to frighten you," he said, looking apologetic. "I'm only offering suggestions based on my own experience, but… Perhaps opening up to your friends might help, in this situation. There will be time to figure out what it is that's happening to you."

Wren nodded in agreement. "Yeah… And there's Tana, but to be honest? I don't… feel the same pull from her as I do from Mobius. Does she really have the same thing as me?"

"You might ask your Guado friend. It's easy for Unsent to identify each other, but I'm afraid I don't know very much about your situation. They, however, seem to be able to identify your Pyreflies as well, even if they don't realize that that is what they sense."

She paused her nodding for a moment to think. "And… that spirit I mentioned, in my dream while I was in the Farplane? What do you make of that?"

Maechen inhaled deeply through his nose, then sighed. His eyes tilted up towards the ceiling while he thought it over. This time, his answer came a little quickly than before.

"Have you asked her yourself?" he asked.

"I haven't… I didn't have any strange dreams last night, so I haven't spoken to her since Djose."

"That's a starting point, at least. But aside from that… You mentioned that the dreams started shortly after your incident in Kilika Port, but the spirit only appeared to you after your arrival in the Farplane. Is it, perhaps, a coincidence? Or is that the two aren't connected at all?"

Now that she thought of it, he was right. She had assumed that the spirit was somehow the cause of her dreams, and that her appearance was related to the increasing intensity of the dreams, but that was entirely new. Was the spirit just something else she had picked up?

"Speak to her, the next time you get a chance," said Maechen, nodding his head slowly. "I'm sure she will have more answers for you than I."

"I will," said Wren, frowning.

At that moment, Twill and Tana returned together, carrying Maechen's misplaced items. Twill placed the glasses and his hat beside him on the cot.

"It took a few minutes to track down your hat," they said. "I hope it isn't ruined."

"Truthfully, I've had it for a long time," he said, placing his scraggly old hand on the hat. "I doubt it will be any worse for the wear. But thank you for finding it for me. I am truly grateful for everything you all have done."

"I should be thanking you," said Wren, bowing her head. "You gave me a lot to think about."

"As a scholar, there is no higher praise," he said, chuckling. "And I thank you for keeping an old man company."

Tana looked at Wren curiously, then back at Maechen. The distrust was gone from her eyes, but she seemed skeptical. Wren would definitely have to answer for that.

The three of them said some brief wellwishing words to the old man before Tana showed them to their own room for the night. She didn't say anything about what had happened, simply getting comfortable in the room. She set up her toolkit at the small table in the corner of the room, affixing a promised gem to one of Merris' gauntlets.

Wren waved to get Twill's attention, calling them over to where Tana was seated. She had some doubts about Tana's situation, though she wasn't at all distrustful of the woman. The strange situation with the dead city and the souls of its inhabitants wasn't well understood by any of them, and she had many questions. She sat across from Tana at her workspace, prompting a raised eyebrow and a strange look in her bottomless eyes.

Twill stood next to the two of them at the table, tilting their head. "What is it?"

"I don't mean to sound… strange," started Wren. Her words were slow and thoughtful. Timid. "But I… feel like I have to be honest about something I've been curious about for a little while."

"Yeah?" asked Tana, blinking. She set her jeweler's tools down to listen. "What are you saying?"

"Okay, um… You said that you were one of the first people to explore Djose temple when the Machine Faction moved in, right? So… you have the errant Pyreflies?" She hesitated a little. "And that's why Mobius did what he did to you?"

Tana's eyes flashed for a moment, but she nodded. "Yeah. I have them. But I haven't ever had any other weird symptoms, like you and him both described. As far as I know, they've just been leaving me alone."

Twill tilted their head back, looking between the two of them for a moment. And then they paused. Their eyes glanced back to Wren, waiting for the reason she had called them over.

Wren nodded her head, gears slowly turning. "After we met in the Farplane, my dreams got weirder. And… I met that spirit, I mentioned, who spoke to me in my dream. And you said you've never felt anything like that."

"Right," she said, though she didn't sound sure of what Wren was trying to ask. "I don't mess with spirits and the Farplane. Even before I was stuck down there. I'm not really interested in the dead, especially after what a bunch of dead people have done to the world."

"Okay, this is going to sound weird too," said Wren, grimacing. "Um, after I was attacked, when I met Mobius again, I could feel this kind of pull towards him? Like, I can kind of feel his presence... But I don't think it's him that I felt, after thinking about it. I think it was the Pyreflies. And… I haven't felt that from you, during or since we met."

Tana drummed her fingers for a moment, frowning deeply. Did she understand? "You know what…? I know I felt the same thing from Mobius when I first met him. Kind of faint, though. But now that you mention it, I haven't felt the same thing from you at all either. I guess it could be that the Farplane kind of… cancels its own energy out, or something? I don't know anything about that, but I should feel it from you now."

Wren nodded vigorously, then looked up at Twill. "Right, I thought so too! So what I wanted to ask, Twill, was do you feel the same thing coming from me as her? Does she still smell like the Farplane?"

"It's not exactly a 'smell,'" said Twill, shaking their head. "It's more like a sense, like a feeling? It feels like something that's sort of stuck to you-so it's kind of like a smell, but it's not the same, it doesn't have a scent . Inside the Farplane, it's everywhere, so it's impossible to find its source, but outside..."

Tana waved her hand, huffing to hide a soft laugh from them. "Come on, answer the question. If this is important, I want to know too."

Twill tilted their head to the side, leaning towards Wren, then the other direction, leaning towards Tana. They pursed their lip into a line.

"...No, I don't sense the Farplane on you."


	20. Where Are You?

Tana gestured with her hands at Wren. "Well, there you go."

Wren continued looking at Tana, her face twisting in confusion. "So… what happened to the Pyreflies?"

"I don't know," said Tana, putting her hands up. "It's like I said, I'm no good at this stuff. I don't do spirits, and I don't do magic. This is pretty much all I know, right here." She gestured at her crafting supplies in front of her for emphasis. "You'd think I would notice that they were gone, if I knew anything at all about what was going on before being told about it."

Wren looked down at the table, nodding. She folded her hands in her lap, thinking for a few moments. "Yeah, that makes sense. I just can't figure out what really happened."

Tana waved one hand gently and started to get back to work. "I dunno. My guess? Farplane took them back. I'm just glad to be rid of them."

Twill nodded, shuffling back over to where they had been sitting on the bed before. "I can't say I blame you. I think it was pretty likely Mobius intended to claim your piece of the puzzle for himself, so let's just hope that isn't what happened."

"We'll just have to make sure he doesn't get all of it," huffed Tana. "That was pretty much the plan already, right?"

Wren nodded eagerly. Then she stopped, stared directly ahead, pursing her lips together, and finally tilted her head. "What did you plan to do about the airship, anyway?"

"Oh, that. It's not really that complicated," she admitted, looking up at the ceiling for a moment. "I thought about stealing it, to be honest. I don't really know how to fly it, though. So the most realistic thing to do would be just to destroy it. Let me into the engine room and we can do enough damage to keep Mobius grounded for at least a month."

"Oh, yeah, I guess so," said Wren.

"You almost sound disappointed."

"I sort of hoped that taking care of it meant flying in it," she said, laughing softly, a hand on her cheek as she was a little embarrassed. "But I don't think any of us are pilots, right?"

"Not as far as I know." Tana put one arm over the back of her seat as an anchor so she could turn to look at Twill.

"I'm definitely not an expert in any sort of technology," they said, protesting just a little. "I'm still wrapping my head around the machina that started popping up everywhere after the Eternal Calm began."

"Fair enough," shrugged Tana, beginning to tinker with Merris' gloves once more.

Wren wanted to get out of her way, so she made her way to one of the beds, sprawling across it comfortably. It was intended to fit two people, and Tana would probably eventually come around to slip into it once she got tired, but at the moment Wren was taking up the whole thing. It was dark outside, and not just because of the thick clouds that never breached to let in any light.

She pulled off her still damp outer layer of her clothes, flopping them onto the floor beside the bed. She realized that across the length of the room, there was a rail that appeared to be for the purpose of hanging wet clothing. She saw that Tana and the others had already done just that with their own coats already, but she was too tired after a full day of wandering the marshy desert.

* * *

Inside the city, Wren was already looking for the spirit she had spoken with in the Farplane. This was made difficult by the fact that the spirit was not something that could apparently be seen, to begin with.

"Spirit? Spiiiii-riiiiit?" She was unsure if the people who bustled about the city could really see her or hear her, but she was unafraid of seeming foolish by calling out. She had no idea how to find the spirit, after all.

There did seem to be fewer people present, somehow, but it was a great deal more than none. Was it because she wasn't in the Farplane anymore?

Where was she now, anyway? She was sure the city really was Zanarkand, but more specifically…

She was standing in some kind of open area, with a large, illuminated fountain in the middle. It was very elaborately carved, but the greatest spectacle was how the water itself seemed to be made of light, how it reflected every bit of light that bounced off of its surface. Everything around her, and even she herself, held a faint, dusty rose color from its light. She found a seat on one of the stone benches that surrounded the fountain, and tried to focus.

Something like a breeze fell past her ear, and she could somehow feel the presence of the spirit nearby. Perhaps within her, perhaps around her.

"That isn't my name, you know," said the spirit, not at all coldly.

Wren snorted just a little, with the same amount of distant friendliness. "It might help if you would tell me what your name is."

The spirit seemed to think for a moment, as if deciding something. "Amalthea."

"Amalthea…" Wren repeated softly. "I don't really know a good way to ask this politely, but could you tell me anyway? What are you exactly?"

"I'm… just a spirit," said Amalthea. "Right now, I'm trying to understand the situation outside. I don't mean you any harm."

It sounded a lot like she was avoiding the question. She sort of hoped she could mentally shut out the spirit's ability to read any thoughts thought too closely in her general direction. As long as Amalthea wouldn't tell her anything, she didn't want her to be able to read her.

"Um… alright?" Wren tilted her head. "Well… can you tell me what it is you want from me, then? That probably sounds rude, too, but I don't exactly know what's going on with you, being in my head, and all."

"All I want is to see someone put a stop to Mobius," said Amalthea. "That's why I'm here. You're the only one I know who can do something about him. About what he's planning. If you really possess this power… I think you can stop him."

Wren paused, staring into the fountain. If Amalthea knew about Mobius, then these memories of Zanarkand couldn't belong to her. How old was she, exactly?

"Can I ask you something else, then? You… you're… dead, right? But if you know Mobius, then you're not… some thousand year old spirit I picked up in Kilika. Is the fact that you're here now related to the Pyreflies at all? You're not from Zanarkand."

"No, I'm not. I was from Bevelle," said Amalthea. "This has been my first time seeing the ancient civilization of summoners as well. The Pyreflies aren't mine, either. Whoever they belong to died long before I was ever even conceived."

"I thought so," said Wren. She rubbed at the back of her neck. "I can see that you and I… seem to have a common enemy? But I don't think this arrangement is fair to me. You can read my mind, at least to some degree, and you have at least some idea of what's going on around me. I don't know who you are, and I don't know why you're here. Can I trust that you are who you say you are?"

Amalthea hesitated.

"I don't know. I'm still deciding if I can trust you or not," she said. "I don't know everything. You have the same power as Mobius. It's easy to assume that if either of you collect all of the Pyreflies, you'll have the power to destroy all of Spira. That's far more than any one person should have. Even if you promise me now that you won't use it, how will I know for sure?"

Wren felt something rise in her chest, a pinching feeling that made her spine tingle and ache.

"That isn't fair," said Wren, folding her arms tightly around herself. She didn't know why she had to prove herself to her. Why did she have to struggle with the spirit living in her head, and to what effect? "I mean-I get it. I hear what you're saying. If you only have half the story, we're both relying a lot on each other's good faith. But you don't know anything about me, or my friends."

She sat down once again, a frown etched on her face as she put her face in her hands. "Okay, I know that doesn't sound fair, either, but listen for just a second. I lost my mom to Sin. I can't lose anyone else, and Spira shouldn't have to return to living like that ever again."

"On top of that, you don't know about Tana," she said, tilting her head so that she was resting her chin in one hand, the other crossing her lap. "Do you know what Mobius did to her? She stumbled across the Pyreflies in Djose temple before any of this started, and he somehow found out, and then he tried to kill her over it. That's how we ended up in the Farplane in the first place."

The silence that followed was more surprising than anything else she could have received as a response.

"Amalthea?"

"I'm here. I'm just thinking," she answered. "I wouldn't put anything past him. To be honest, I'm more surprised that he didn't manage to succeed in killing her. He isn't the kind of person to… leave a job half finished, if you'll forgive me for sounding so cold."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… Tell me what happened, to Tana? He threw her into the Farplane?"

Wren sat up straight. "Yeah, that's right. I think they fought for a bit, but he's too strong for any of us to fight alone. The details don't matter, but he threw her into the pit inside Djose temple. I don't know if he knew it led to the Farplane at the time."

"Probably not," said Amalthea. "If he knew, and he truly wanted her dead, that wouldn't have happened. I doubt he had any idea."

She was repeating herself. Wren didn't know if she liked her response, but she guessed that was probably going to be the end of that line of conversation. For now, anyway.

"Alright, then I have one last question," said Wren. "What do you know about the Pyreflies? Tana used to have them, but now they're gone. She said she doesn't really notice stuff like that, and didn't even realize they were gone. I thought… You're dead, right?"

She heard Amalthea sigh. "I don't know everything. But… alright, I've been here a little bit longer than that incident. What I do know is that the amount of power you possess increased significantly after that, so my best guess is that Mobius was trying to accomplish what you succeeded in doing. He... probably meant to kill her and absorb the Pyreflies for himself."

"But Tana is still alive!" Wren was on her feet again, and this time, she didn't know how to settle down. She walked towards the fountain, holding herself again. "What do you mean by that? I took them from her? She's alive. How could I have taken them?"

"Oh- oh no, no. That sounded more alarming than I thought it would," said Amalthea. "It isn't very good news, as it is, but I promise, you are correct. Tana is alive and presumably well, not like me, and she isn't Unsent either. But… I think it's likely that the conditions were right. If she accepted the possibility of her death, inside the Farplane, she… might be considered as good as dead. And the Pyreflies are drawn to each other. With Tana as weak as she was… I'd guess that they were drawn to the nearest source of power. Which is you."

Wren still felt unsettled. Amalthea wasn't wrong, but she felt off. The way she spoke felt cold, and distant. She would have to wait, but she would get answers eventually.

She sat at the fountain's edge, looking into the water.

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," she said finally. "Thanks, I guess. For letting me bounce ideas off of you, anyway. I don't know what to make of the rest."

"Alright," said Amalthea, settling back down. "I'm sorry this is confusing. To be honest, I don't know what I'm doing either. I hope we'll have time to talk in the future."

Wren made a soft sound, but didn't make a real effort to respond. What else was there to say right now?

She let the dream fade back into a dream, and finally get the rest she deserved.

* * *

When she awoke in the morning, she noticed that her clothes had been hung up nearby. She glanced around at the others who were beginning to stir, but couldn't guess which of them was responsible. She was grateful that she wasn't going to have to walk around smelling like mildew thanks to them.

They were so close to their goal. None of them wasted any time getting ready to leave for the day. They did pause, for a moment, to say goodbye to Maechen, but he was nowhere to be found. The woman at the desk said she hadn't seen him leave, but he certainly wasn't there now.

No one really liked that answer but they figured the dead could do what they wanted.

They took their things, and hesitantly wandered out into the rain again. It was cold and instantly miserable, but something else was nagging at Wren.

"Um… next is Macalania, right?" she asked, no longer having to shout over the rain.

Merris shook his head. "To get to Bevelle we only have to go through the woods. The old temple's sunk into the lake anyway. No point, right?"

"Mm, maybe." She didn't sound convinced.

The storm was thinning out and now all that was left was the fine mist that covered the land. It leaked into the forest's entrance, creating an unearthly aura around the crystalline wood. The air as they approached seemed to sing with some kind of magical energy, like the rush of water and the tinkling of wind chimes simultaneously.

They were finally out of the rain, and as the landscape started to fade into the strange trees the area was known for. Wren looked around curiously, as if searching for something. Something felt strange. The path in front of them started to split into a number of well-traveled path, but one path called out to her more than the others, deeper into the forest.

Twill started down the path that took them the farthest away from where Wren wanted to go.

"Is that the way to Bevelle?" asked Wren.

She had stopped walking, standing there dripping wet at the crossroads, prompting the others to look at her strangely.

"Yes, it's this way. It isn't far, either, we'll be there in no time at all if we keep going. Since we seem to be ahead of schedule, we'll probably have time to stop for a little while to think about what to do next," said Twill, nodding.

Wren dragged her hands down her face, thinking. Okay, so they needed to go to Bevelle. That was true.

"What's down that way?" she asked, pointing into the forest.

"That's just the way to the temple," said Tana. "But like Merris said, it's underwater, and even if it wasn't, we need to move. Why do you want to go to the temple, anyway?"

Wren tugged at her sleeve, wringing it with her fingers a little. "Um… for once, it's not really because of my research? Actually, I didn't plan on writing much, maybe I'd get a couple of shots for the movie, but that's all. I just feel like I need to go to the site where it used to be, even if I can't get inside."

The other three stood around her, looking between each other and her, as if trying to decide what to do. It was clear they all wanted to move on.

"If you think it's important…" said Tana, frowning. "I'm not sure we should ignore it."

"Really?" asked Wren.

"Yeah, I mean… the temples are practically breeding grounds for dead things, maybe there are more of those souls there," she said, cupping her chin with her hand while she thought. "Both of ours were found at temples, right?"

Wren nodded vigorously.

"That's a good point. It wouldn't be any good if Mobius found them before us, either. I mean, in the long run, the airship is more useful, if there are more to collect, but the fewer he has, the better," said Merris.

"I have an idea," said Twill, sighing. "This probably isn't the smartest idea, knowing what we're up against, but I say we split up. I'll go to Bevelle ahead of everyone and keep an eye out for Mobius."

"Okay, no, bad idea," Wren said, immediately.

"If you're all set on getting those Pyreflies as well, it's the only way," said Twill. "I'm not suggesting trying to fight him on my own, but I can keep an eye out, and I'll find a way to keep him from leaving on the airship if I see him."

Merris frowned. "Hey, at least let me come with you. Even if you don't plan on getting into a fight, are you sure it's a good idea to be alone? What if something happens anyway?"

"Trust me, I have no intention of dying, I'm not going to engage him at all. He doesn't even know what we're doing right now," they said, shaking their head. "And to be honest, I'm probably the safest person to send. He's never seen my face before."

"You have a point," said Wren, shifting her weight to the side in resignation. "Are you sure this is okay?"

"I'm positive that I'll be fine," said Twill, nodding. "It will probably be dark by the time you get back, but here, here's what I know about going to Macalania. There's a secret passage through the woods-it's not much of a secret anymore, since anyone passing through always takes it now, but the woods are easy to get lost in. This path cuts straight through everything."

They were pointing in the direction behind them.

At first, Wren didn't see it, but she noticed something shimmering just out of existence that looked like it was trying very hard not to be seen. The harder she tried to see it, the easier it became to see, like an optical illusion of the light. She reached out and touched it with her hand. It felt like nothing at all, but there was clearly something underneath her fingertips that she was pressing down on. Was this the path?

"That's it. I don't know what kind of magic it is, but it seems like it's only visible if you know it's there. It might have something to do with the forest spirits still living here," they said. "The other thing is that there's an old Travel Agency on the way to the temple. I don't think it's officially a Travel Agency anymore, but you'll be able to buy any supplies you'll need, and they offer tours of the lake."

"It kind of makes us sound like tourists," said Tana, huffing. "But I guess that's basically what this started out as, isn't it?"

"Things got crazy pretty fast," admitted Wren.

Twill inched a little closer to the path to Bevelle. "Try not to get hurt. I'm the only one who knows any healing magic."

She started moving towards the invisible path, which suddenly seemed so much more clear to her now. "Thanks for the help. If I don't find anything, we'll come right back. Promise."

"Stay out of trouble," said Merris, nudging their arm.

"I will," they snorted, shaking their head. "And good luck."

Twill left in one direction, while Tana, Wren, and Merris found their way to the pathway that would let them cut across the woods in only half the time it would normally take. The tugging sensation didn't seem to be alleviated as she moved closer to the destination.

At least she knew she was heading in the right direction.


	21. Bad Accents and Big Fish, Macalania

Tana led the three of them through the woods.

Wren wasted no time in getting her camera out as they crossed the bridge from one end of the woods to somewhere near the other. The ground beneath their feet was nearly invisible, but glittered with a strange sheen that made it just barely less than alarming to cross. But only barely, as their footsteps didn't make a single sound, even when Merris' heavy boots thumped against it. The only sound was the shuffling of feet against each other.

There was something strange about the way you walked on it, too. Wren could feel how easy it was to find her footing. Surely one could slip and fall, but she had no trouble at all finding where it was safe to step, as if her feet were being guided. It was very obviously created through magical means, but if it wasn't already, she could definitely feel it through that alone.

She still loved these moments, where she could just act like a regular girl on a tour across Spira, as intended. Even if the footage didn't make the final cut, she would treasure memories like these forever. She just wished they were being made under better circumstances. At least the former summoners of Spira could afford to meander. Sin was going nowhere. In fact, it was important to make memories, and savor what time was left, if the summoner even made it to Zanarkand, and then back to the Calm Lands.

Things would be a lot easier if she could just. Wish Mobius away, or something.

The trees in the forest were very strange, crystalline figures with glowing lights, as if they had been decorated, but every piece of it was entirely natural. Almost everything was covered with either moss or vines, or both. Most of the trees were at least a thousand years old, preserved by slowly dying magic over time, but there were many younger trees beneath their feet as they trekked. Wren was careful to give a shot of the treetops that they crossed over.

They came to the end of the bridge before long, and somehow it felt even stranger to be walking on solid ground again.

Before the end of the woods, which was nearly hidden from sight for the thickness of the trees, the path split again.

Wren peered down the path, where the ground seemed to be soft and damp, and only becoming more so the farther in one went. The ground was more akin to tightly woven netting, made of various vines, than real ground, as that was the only thing preventing one from soaking their feet. It seemed to be some kind of spring, nestled under a gnarled tree, where all the water in the woods was trickling down from. The tree emanated a strange kind of light that reflected across the surface of every puddle and every stream it touched, creating interesting patterns across the trees and crystals that surrounded the clearing, in various golds, pinks, and blues.

It was such an ethereally beautiful place that Wren was very sad they couldn't stay any longer. She would have to make a note to visit again one day.

Twill hadn't been kidding when they had said the Travel Agency wasn't far from the edge of the forest. It was practically next door, but Wren doubted many people came this way due to the empty surrounding area. The brush cleared, and there it was, nestled in the snow. The air chilled very suddenly, as well. Within the forest, it had been a marshy, but comfortable heat. As soon as one stepped out of it, however, the temperature plummeted. None of them were really dressed for the weather at all, so they all three hurried into the shop, to get out of the cold.

It was only a little warmer inside the shop. There was a fire going, which provided a soft glow to the room, and definitely brought the temperature up, but they were going to need something a little heavier than that to keep warm.

There was a man standing off to the side, adjusting something on the shelves, then moving back and forth between the other side of the room, clearly unsatisfied with his own work no matter what he did. Another, younger-looking man stood meekly behind the counter, fidgeting with something on the countertop. Both of them seemed surprised to see the three of them standing in their door.

The older man dropped what he was doing, the object he was holding clattering to the ground as he rushed over to greet them, hands clasped together in what was meant to be a pleasant gesture. "Welcome to O'aka's!"

The greeting seemed well-rehearsed, but too enthusiastic.

Wren took a step back, towards the door, then forward when she felt the icy air that was wafting in between the cracks of the door. "We, uh... It's cold out."

"Oh! Yes!" said the man, who seemed to be O'aka. "We carry a limited supply of cold weather wear just for the occasion! Coats, hats, gloves, boots-we've got it all!"

"I think we're going to have to make do with coats," said Tana, though she stared down at her bare legs. "We picked up a decent amount of gil at Guadosalam, but…"

"Took care of a few fiends in the Thunder Plains too," said Merris, nodding.

"Yeah, but I don't know if we have enough," said Wren, frowning. "Merris is the only one wearing pants that are really acceptable to wear, and even then…"

"Besides that, would we even have enough money for the tour afterwards?" asked Tana, thinking.

"Tour?" asked O'aka, his eyes brightening for just a moment. "What's this about?"

Wren paused her internal monologue while she thought to turn and look at him. "Oh, uh, we need to go to the temple. Or, to the lake, I guess. But my friend said that you offered tours? The only way to get on the water is by boat, right? But obviously, we don't have one, and we're kind of in a hurry…"

The man's expression looked a little puzzled, like he wasn't quite following her line of thought, but he seemed to understand three things. They were interested in buying clothing to stay warm, they were interested in a tour, and they were strapped for cash.

"Well, well, since ye've been referred to our place of business, maybe we can cut a deal. I'll offer ye a discount," he said firmly, folding his arms and nodding.

Tana sucked in air through her teeth and sighed, but nodded. "Let's see what it comes out to, alright?"

They actually managed to work something out, all three of them soon outfitted snugly for the cold weather. To Wren's absolute relief.

"What about the tour?" asked Wren, tilting her head.

"Wantz here will take ye," said O'aka, jerking his thumb in the direction of the younger man, still fidgeting away with something. "Free of charge, if ye'll tell your friends."

Wantz looked up, eyes going wide for a moment. "F-for free? Do you know how cold it is out there?"

"Course I do," scoffed O'aka. "I've been stuck out here in this cold, same as you, haven't I? But I'm the oldest. O'aka XXIII; is that me name or isn't it?"

"It is…" said Wantz.

"And what did dear mum and dad call ye?"

"...O'aka XXIV."

"So it's decided! You, outside, free of charge."

Wantz seemed to have conceded, but Wren felt rather like she'd stepped into the middle of something she didn't understand, having no siblings of her own.

He stepped out from behind the counter, then started to put on layers of outerwear to bundle up. "Alright. Let's head out, then, while the sun's still out."

He seemed unenthusiastic, but polite enough to try to keep a chipper edge to his words on their behalf. Which was far more than Wren expected of him.

"You don't really have to do the whole tour thing," said Wren, after they stepped outside. "We just need to go to the lake."

"Yeah?" he asked, leading them to the side of the building, where he uncovered three machina. Snowmobiles that would serve as transportation to and from the lake. "Well, if you have any questions, just ask!"

Wantz took the seat of one of the snowmobiles, Merris took one, and Tana and Wren took the last one together. Wren wondered what the seating arrangement would look like if Twill had been able to come with them.

The trail leading down to the lake looked well-worn, which was unsurprising. If they were about to go out on the lake, they must have checked the state of the ice on the lake regularly. No wonder neither brother wanted to take them out on the lake, they must make the trip at least once a day. That said, the trip was easier for the tracks already made by the treads of the machina before, even with the light snowfall between then and the previous trip.

There were posts at the end of the trail, marking something. Wantz started to brake before the group reached them, so she guessed they either were marking the edge of the lake, or possibly the depth of the snow or ice.

Wantz hopped off his machine, then waved them over to a small docking area where a couple of boats were tied up. They looked able to hold a few people each. He reached for one of the long, metal-tipped oars leaned against the dock nearby, then extended the other towards the group.

"Any of you know anything about navigating icy water?" he asked.

Merris tilted his head to the side. "I have a little experience with boating, but… Never on ice before, no."

Tana and Wren both shook their heads.

Wantz passed the oar to Merris. "Just follow my lead."

He helped Wren, clutching her camera, into one of the boats, while Tana and Merris climbed into the other. The boats were untied, and after testing the water with the oars, they pushed off.

Wren peered with her camera into the water, which was eerily clear where one could see between the ice, to the very bottom. There was a mist rolling off of the lake, making it difficult to see ahead of oneself, but they maneuvered through the water with ease, if cautiously. Below her, she could see some pieces of the sunken temple, broken apart either when it fell or with time, worn down by water.

The mist became thicker, and she could see pyreflies floating on the fog as well. The pulling feeling certainly was coming from the temple, and they were heading right towards it. She could feel somewhere in her chest that this is where she needed to be.

"In just a few moments we'll be able to see the top of the temple, where it remains half sunk into the lake," said Wantz, pointing. "The fog isn't usually this thick, but I can take us up real close, so don't worry about getting that perfect shot."

Wren pointed her camera in the direction of Wantz's finger, trying to see through the mist.

In its midst, she could make out a shape. There was a large structure, tilted on its side so it was leaning heavily into the water. It lined up with the structure below, as well. It seemed that it had not yet slipped all the way into the water, but the lake was quite deep, and that was only what she could measure by the size of the temple. She was sure it would slip all the way to the bottom one day.

A strange gurgling sound came from the shape, prompting her to tilt her head slightly to listen for it if it happened again.

"That's just a bit of snow falling into the water. The lake's still in the process of thawing out," said Wantz. "Maybe in a few years, this place will turn into a balmy beach resort."

"Not too soon, I hope," Wren murmured.

The temple came into focus, no longer just a shadow, and now she could make out the details of intricately carved architecture that arched down into the lake, like a fallen stalactite. Up close, she was able to make out another shape. One that chilled her more than the icy wind ever could.

It looked like something sticking out of the water, a decoration from the temple, or perhaps a marker or buoy like what was stuck in the ground by the lake's edge. As they got closer, however, Wren could see that it was a person, standing on top of the water's surface. She turned her camera off.

"Mobius?" she breathed.

There he was, still wearing his strange garb, but with a bit more layering than normal. His cloak seemed like a strange scarf now, and there almost seemed to be a supernatural wind around him, causing his long braid to flow on the breeze that only he could feel.

Beneath him, Pyreflies flocked at his feet, apparently supporting his weight. She knew that Pyreflies could be manipulated by certain skilled people, and that Pyreflies were the very basis of sphere technology, able to store memories in a tangible form, but…

"Mobius!"

The call belonged to Tana, who leaned forward dangerously in the boat, over the side. Merris leaned to the other to keep her from rocking the boat, and seemed too stunned to do anything else.

He turned to face them, looking almost as surprised to see them.

Wren cursed herself for not noticing he was here. The sensation pulling her towards the temple must have drowned him out.

"Wren!" he called out to them, waving his arm. "What are you doing out here?"

"Don't you dare ignore me!" spat Tana. "How dare you?"

Merris had to hold her back to keep her from tipping the boat over as she leaned even further still over the edge. Wren couldn't blame her.

"What do you mean? What are you doing here? How are you doing that?"

Mobius was a little slow to respond, clearly concentrating very hard on what he was doing. "Oh, yes. You didn't know I was once an apprentice summoner before the start of the Eternal Calm, did you? My training was extremely rigorous, but some of the skills I learned proved to be useful even after my chance to leave for my pilgrimage passed. Even as we speak, I am channeling the Pyreflies from the temple to my location, using them to support me. It's no easy trick, but it comes a little more easily to me now than when I was younger."

Wren didn't know what to say, and everyone else was stunned into silence at the sight of a man balancing on the frozen lake.

"I see you've found my mistake I neglected to clean up after," he added, stepping closer. "I was wondering what had become of her. I expected you might find out what happened to her sooner or later, but I had hoped it wouldn't be so soon… Did you fall into the Farplane as well?"

Wren raised her hands together, then drew one hand back from the other, as if pulling the string of a bow. A spark grew at her fingertips, becoming a full flame as it hurtled past Mobius, missing by only a small margin. Wantz cried out in surprise, then squeaked a protest to her that she only half heard.

"If you want to fight me like this, you've put yourself into a pathetic situation," he warned, a chill to his words. "If your boats were to topple over, all of you would freeze before you even reach the bottom of the lake."

"How did you get here before us?" asked Wren, finally able to speak. Her hands were trembling with anger, and behind her she could still hear Tana struggling slightly against Merris. She should have known he wouldn't feel even a little remorse for what he had done to Tana, but he wouldn't even hear her anymore. Did he know about the Pyreflies? Basic human decency made that a moot point, but clearly he felt he was above that.

"I made the trek on foot myself. You must have noticed my footprints in the snow, right? I left some time after you, actually, I'm surprised you didn't get here sooner. But if you went after her, then you must have lost more time than you thought inside the Farplane."

Wren fired another spell at him, this one evaporating in the water beneath his feet.

"I didn't stop to rest until I reached the Thunder Plains, either, so I'm not so surprised you didn't know I was following the same trail as you seem to be," he said. "That must mean you understand the gift we've been given. The one you stole from me in Kilika."

So that's why he had been so cold to her when she was ill afterwards.

"The power to revive Sin?" she asked, her shoulders tensing up as she stared past him.

Instead of saying anything, he took the trident from his side, and started to do something strange that she had seen him do once before.

"He's going to summon," she shouted, turning back to Wantz, who looked more terrified than ever. "Get us out of here, now! Tana, don't leave the boat-we have to go!"

"He's going to what?! " Wantz looked like he was debating jumping ship instead, more out of surprise than anything. "Who are you people?"

Wren made some wild gestures with her hands to indicate to him that they needed to move more than she had time to give him answers.

They wasted no time in turning the boats, a tedious process as Tana clutched the side of the boat even after Merris released her, and Wren held both sides to calm her nerves in case the boat started to rock.

Something was forming out of the mist, and now it was moving below the surface of the water. Something far larger than any boat Wren had ever seen.

Unfortunately, rowing was a slow process through the ice. Wren started doing what she could to melt the ice ahead of them with her magic, but it seemed to have little effect.

Whatever was under the water was rising up now, causing bigger waves across the lake. The boats started to rock from the ripples created by the creature's massive head, which broke the surface of the icy water with a fierce, roaring cry.

Wren turned to look, just in time to see a giant, serpentine head come crashing towards them, only to disappear just before it could get near them. It seemed Mobius was more interested in frightening them than killing them. The result, however, was that a huge wave of ice and water was rushing towards them. It sent them flying from their boats, washing against the shore.

They were half soaked in freezing water, and lucky not to have hurt themselves in the crash, either on the ground or on the boats themselves. The boats themselves had become beached not far from where they had all landed in the dirt and snow.

"Everyone alive?" asked Merris.

They all groaned in response.

"We should get out of here," said Wantz, standing up despite the fact that he was obviously in pain. He was shaking, though Wren couldn't tell if it was from the cold or from fear. "If that thing doesn't come after us first, we'll freeze to death."

Wren picked up her head just in time to see soft, wisplike lights over the lake disappearing, and the pull of the Pyreflies along with it. She clenched her fist, beat it on the ground once in frustration, then pulled herself up off the ground.

Her back hurt, mostly in her shoulders. She'd been slammed against the ground pretty hard and the others were shaking out various aches. It was a wonder no one had been injured.

More importantly, the water seeping into half of her new clothes felt disgusting and would probably kill her if she didn't get moving.

They loaded back onto the snowmobiles, and took off. The cold air as they moved through the wind chilled her straight to the bone, and she buried her face against Tana's back, squeezing her eyes shut. The cold didn't help her feel any better about what had just happened.

"I can't believe him," growled Tana, barely audible over the running motor.

"Me either." Wren suspected she wasn't really looking for conversation, but she certainly shared that sentiment.

"I almost died because of him. I was this close," she said. "He won't even address me like a living being. He's talking about me like I'm a pet."

"I think he talks to everyone like that," said Wren, lifting her head a little. "Everyone... except me. I don't want him to treat me the way he treats me either, I'm sorry. I don't think he sees me as a person either, though."

Tana shook her head. "No, he doesn't. He sees you as a tool. That's how he used to see me, but I was so busy with everything going on in town while we were building that I barely had any time to interact with him, or notice. He must know about what happened to my Pyreflies."

"I think so too. I don't know," she said, quietly. "Sorry."

"He's the only one who should be sorry. I don't know how long it'll take, but I'll make sure of that," she muttered.

Wren nodded her head, putting it down once again. She'd never blame Tana for feeling the way she did, no matter what anyone said about revenge or holding a grudge. Tana had every reason to be furious. Her revenge would be for no one but herself. Maybe then Tana could get some peace of mind.

The old Travel Agency was coming up over the top of the hill.

No time was wasted at the shop. They left their winter clothes behind after changing, since they were too wet and heavy to do anything with. The two brothers were left with many questions, and received very few answers in return, partially out of safety and partially because they were in a hurry to return to Twill. All they were left with was a warning to keep themselves safe, and not to worry about anything they saw. Wantz had more to worry about than his brother, in that respect, but the guideline applied all the same.

The three of them ran most of the way back to the fork in the road, and to Bevelle. Naturally, they were getting tired by the time they reached the fork, and there was no time at all to enjoy the scenery. Wren had begun to doubt that Mobius had any interest at all in pursuing them, even if he had been right on their heels the whole time (and he wasn't.) Really, it had been foolish to be so worried, but the sooner they reached Bevelle, the better.

She was only really starting to regret it now that her legs were starting to feel like jelly. Her chest hurt, and her throat felt ragged. She could tell the other two were tired, but she was the only one in such awful shape. She hoped this journey would toughen her up, but she hadn't exactly planned on literally running for her life during her filming. Her pace slowed to a trudge as they walked.

Bevelle wasn't far now-they could see the long bridge that led to the city's entrance, and the canals that ran from one end to the other. Wren could see them, but she was feeling lightheaded, and far too warm.

Her ankle gave way under her, and she hit the ground before reaching the bridge, unconscious.


	22. Change of Plans

She was in Zanarkand again, lying on the ground looking up at the sky, as if an unseen force tossed her there, leaving her to collect herself. She declined this invitation, staring up at the clouds instead. She heard the sound of the ocean from all around her.

"What now?" she mumbled, shaking her head. "What am I doing here?"

"You passed out," said Amalthea. "You don't think you have some sort of condition, do you?"

"If I do, I'd appreciate if the construct living in my head wasn't the one to make fun of me for it," she said, huffing.

"That's quite rude. I'm not a construct. I was a living person, once."

"I know, I'm sorry. I don't know what happened for you to end up like this, but I don't understand how I got tangled up in this, either," said Wren.

"Better you did than no one," said Amalthea. "If you hadn't come across Mobius' mess, there's a good chance no one else would be able to stop him either."

Wren sat up finally, muttering in agreement. She seemed to be near the docks where she had first started, this time. There were few people walking to and fro in small groups, but it was relatively unpopulated compared to the bulk of the city.

"Do you know about what's going on outside?" asked Wren.

"Not… really," she answered. "I don't really see anything, I'm mostly reliant on your judgement. I only really know what happens with you, and even then, only the internal aspect. I don't know why you were caused to collapse, for instance. Just that your body is exhausted. But that's easy to put together."

Wren hummed softly, shrugging. "So you don't know that I saw Mobius."

"No, that I did feel," she said, her voice turning cold again. "And I know you panicked and did nothing."

Wren laughed in disbelief. "What? Did you want me to fight him? Don't act like I wouldn't love to, if I wasn't on a tiny boat in the middle of a frozen lake and he wasn't standing on the water's surface like it was solid ground."

"Do you mean that you can't do that?" asked Amalthea, sounding surprised.

She had to pause a moment to think about that. What did Amalthea think she was? Their perceptions of each other seemed to both be way off base.

"Did you think I knew how to walk on water?" she asked, squinting her eyes.

"I thought… Well, I suppose it probably isn't as easy as some might make it look, it took Mobius some time to learn it. It's not even a necessary skill for summoners," said Amalthea, embarrassed. "It's just that his training was particularly rigorous, so I guess I shouldn't have expected anyone else to have had to learn it."

Answers to a completely different set of questions, that had not been asked or even occurred to Wren came forth. She had to stop Amalthea there, before she lost her own train of thought.

"Slow down," she said, frowning. "Do you… know Mobius?"

Amalthea seemed to realize she'd said more than she really meant to. Wren felt something that seemed almost like the spirit was sighing."Intimately."

That left her with no clues as to why she was being so secretive. Which was annoying, at the very least.

Wren blinked, reacting the only way she knew how, at the moment. "Why is he like this?"

"I don't think there's anyone living or dead who knows the answer to that," she admitted. "By the time I realized what was going on in his head, it was far too late."

There were a couple of ways to interpret that, but before Wren had a chance to ask anymore questions, she could feel something touching her, gripping her arms. It felt like someone was gripping her body in the real world, but when she looked down at herself, there was obviously nothing there.

"Someone is trying to wake you up," said Amalthea, not bothering to hide the disappointment in her voice. "Actually… I have much more to tell you, if there was time. When you get a chance, please come back to Djose. If you can find me there, I'll tell you everything you need to know."

Wren tried to open her mouth to question her, but was unable to speak. Everything dissolved around her, and she felt like she was falling.

Merris was leaning over her closely, shaking her arms.

She did not recognize her surroundings. It looked like some kind of storeroom? The ceiling was awfully high, but there was nothing in the room with them but an open crate, and some broken pottery. The room had no door either, and led directly to outside. If it was a storeroom, it didn't seem to be in use anymore.

"Merris? Where are we?" she asked, nudging his grip on her away. "Where's everyone else?"

Merris' eyes glanced to the side and he sucked in air sharply through his teeth. "Okay, so you've been unconscious for a little while now. A few hours. Twill said you didn't seem badly injured after you fell on the way here, but your ankle might feel a little weird, so we let you sleep. In the meantime, we started working on our strategy. We thought you'd wake up by now, but…"

"What's going on?" she asked, squinting. It was dark outside, she realized. The light was coming from somewhere in the streets outside the storeroom.

"Everyone else is in place and we have to get moving to make sure our plan works," said Merris, standing up.

"Wh… wait, right now?" She blinked, then started to get to her feet as well. "Did you carry me all over town like that?"

He shrugged a little in a sort of "what else was I supposed to do?" gesture.

"So what are we doing?" she asked, tilting her head harder than before.

"Well, that's the thing, the plan is pretty straightforward. Twill and my sister are checking out the hangar where Mobius' ship is being held. Then we're all going to board the ship, find the engine room and dismantle and destroy as much of it as we can before anyone shows up to stop us," he said. "So it isn't complicated, but we can't leave you here while we work."

Something clicked in Wren's head.

"Wait, we can use the airship," she said, shaking her head. "I, uh… I need to go back to Djose. The spirit told me to come back to Djose to find her. If we go back on foot we'll just waste time."

Merris stared at her blankly. "Hey. You mean you want to go back to Mobius' base of operations because a ghost told you to?"

Wren tested her ankle for a moment, frowning. "Anything sounds bad if you say it like that. The spirit said she knew Mobius while she was alive, and that she'd finally tell me everything. We know Mobius isn't in Djose. As far as we can tell, he's acting alone. So if going there and back without him ever noticing means getting some answers, I think I have to go."

"But the only way we can do it like that is by taking the ship instead of grounding it," he mumbled, thinking. "I don't know, it sounds dangerous. Who's going to fly it?"

"I don't know, I only just found out about all this-I hadn't really thought it out," said Wren.

"I guess we'll have to figure that one out when we come to it," said Merris, inching towards the doorway. "We've got to make sure the other two know what's going on before we do anything we'll regret."

Merris took off in a sprint before Wren knew how to respond, leaving her to try to keep up with him. It seemed unwise to exert herself, as that seemed to be the apparent cause of her collapse, but the situation required urgency. She chased him a short distance through the streets of Bevelle.

They looked out of place, the few bystanders lingering at night dressed in generous robes that draped their figures to their feet. Their footsteps, however, echoed through the passageways between buildings, like a quadrupedal thunder. Though Bevelle was a city, at night it seemed as silent as a grave. People would certainly be looking out their windows to see the noise.

Suddenly, Merris came to a stop, stumbling his feet to halt himself, and Wren had already slowed down some time ago. Her pace couldn't compete with his.

She looked up at the building they stood next to. It was huge, and certainly new. And uncharacteristically square for a building in the old city…

It definitely looked like it could house a ship.

Merris, shuffled up to the side of the building. He peered around the corner into its alleyway, then wandered in.

"We're pretty near where New Yevon kept their machines," he warned. "Tana said there would be security, somewhere. A machine like this needs a lot of people to keep it running properly, especially if its owner uses it so rarely."

Wren nodded, following behind him quietly as she could. Her breathing was still dry and somewhat painful, and her ankle was a bit sore, as promised. She would be fine in just a few moments, but she was worried about how quietly she could move like that.

They came to an entrance, finally, and slipped inside. Indeed, the building consisted of a single room that looked exactly as large as it appeared from the outside. More impressive was the ship, however.

It was large, and somewhat clunky looking. Wren had seen the airship that had circled Spira since a little after Sin was defeated, and its design was far sleeker. By no means was this one rickety, but rather than being mostly made of harsh metal, the construction was similar to a ship one would see on the ocean. It even had bulbous parts that appeared rather like the sails of a seaworthy vessel. The side of the ship bore its name: Hyacinth. It definitely looked like something someone with too much money to blow would own.

Oddly, though, the hangar was unoccupied. Merris mentioned security, but the stone floors and walls echoed every breath they took, with its emptiness. There was a soft shuffling sound coming from the direction of the ship.

Wren was too busy staring at the ship to speak, at first, before Merris nudged her.

"It sounds like they're inside," he whispered, a tone of urgency slipping into his voice. "I think the entrance is lowered on the other side."

There was a gurgling noise that sounded like it came from deep within someone's chest, and Wren jumped in surprise. A series of inoffensive snores followed shortly.

"Is… someone asleep?" she asked.

Merris sidled against the ship, then turned his head around the corner to see. He crossed in front of it, then looked. Wren could only follow.

"I don't see anything," he said, gesturing to her to look as well.

Wren felt that something was slightly off. There was no security? Wasn't Mobius extremely wealthy? The surrounding industrial area probably served as enough protection already, but there was not even a single guard that they had found.

She was forced to shrug it off, then took off her sandals to avoid any extra noise in spite of her findings. She boarded the gangplank that extended to the floor from the side of the ship, entering cautiously with Merris following behind.

The other two had left a rather obvious trail of open doors. The interior of the ship was surprisingly roomy, the open door apparently leading to some kind of storage space. Despite the fact that it had likely been built for joyriding, it had a reasonably sized cargo hold. Wren didn't have time to think of that, however. Finding Tana and Twill was more important. She followed their breadcrumb trail to the engine room.

The engine room was a series of boilers and other many-chambered, scary looking machines. Tana was poised next to one of them with a wrench that she appeared to have lifted from the man outside, ready to turn the valve.

"Stop!" she shouted hoarsely, trying to muffle herself. She hadn't meant to yell, but there was no time to react otherwise.

Tana barely heard her in time, and the wrench slipped from her fingers, rattling to the floor very audibly.

"Shhh!" she hissed, mostly at herself as she jumped out of the way to avoid hitting her toes.

"You're awak,!" hummed Twill quietly, nodding at Wren.

Wren nodded back, but held her hands nervously as she approached Tana. "We can't destroy the ship. We need it. If we take it, at least we know it's out of Mobius' hands."

Tana shook her head. "Slow down for a second. What for? We don't even know where we're going next."

Wren started to try to explain herself, but the mechanical hum of the lift startled the four of them. It was moving back up, and the time ticking away before it stopped moving indicated it had been moving towards the deck and bridge area.

When it came back down, there was a girl leaning somewhat sleepily against the doorway of the lift.

She rubbed at her eyes, her somewhat muscled shoulders heaving as her eyes settled on them.

"What are you doing on my ship?" she barked at them.

She was short, but lanky, with noticeably muscular upper arms. Freckles were smattered across her olive tan skin from working in the sun, and she wore a bandana tied behind her ears, covering most of her short, somewhat stringy hair.

"Well?" she prompted, leaning against the doorway, revealing a crossbow on her hip Wren hadn't noticed before in the wake of her surprise.

"Doesn't… this ship belong to Mobius?" offered Wren, before she could really stop herself.

The girl snorted, shifting her weight back onto her feet to take a couple steps off of the lift to stand before them.

"I built the Hyacinth myself. Even if all Mobius did was name it, it might as well be mine, since he's never here," she said. "I fell asleep in the cockpit, but I'm not letting you lay a hand on this ship. Give me the wrench."

She made no move to reach for her weapon, instead reaching her hand out to Tana, who was the closest to it.

Tana seemed to be considering her options, her shoulders tensed, but after a moment she leaned down to reach for the wrench, passing it to the girl, who then tucked it into the belt around her waist.

"Wait, are you a pilot?" asked Merris.

"Not officially," said the girl, shaking her head. "But if someone didn't take this thing for a spin every now and then, it'd fall apart in no time. And since I'm the only one in charge of taking care of it, that means I'm the only one who ever flies it too."

She paused, then made a gesture drawing a line from the group to the lift. "Forget that. Get out of here. This place is off limits."

None of them moved.

She reached for her crossbow this time, cradling it in her arms as she kept it pointed at their feet. "Did you hear me? Get. Off. My. Ship."

"Sorry, how much did you say Mobius pays you for all that work?" asked Tana, rubbing at her neck. "Taking care of a ship like this can't be a job for one person, right? Between any repairs, and keeping it running, and leaving you here to take care of it overnight…"

The girl squeezed her eyes shut, relaxing her stance as she contemplated.

"Well, I'm not really supposed to be guarding it or anything, I just… fell asleep in the cockpit," she admitted. "There usually aren't many guards, but I'm always here during the day."

"Sure, but all the work you're doing during the day, by yourself, you must be making a fortune, right?" Tana asked, opening her palm towards her. "How old are you, anyway, kid? Where'd he pick you up?"

"I'm not a kid, my name is Chia and I'm seventeen. I've been doing this kind of work for a while, fixing up machina, so I think someone referred him to me when he wanted a ship built," she said, thinking. "But now that you mention it… this sort of work is normally done by a lot of people. The last time I had any help working on it was… when it was being constructed…"

She frowned deeply. "I've only met Mobius a couple of times, when he still lived in Bevelle, and since then I've been dealing with couriers, mostly… What is it you want, again?"

Wren blinked at Tana in surprise as it unfolded. She didn't really feel comfortable with manipulating her, but if she felt she was being mistreated then maybe it wasn't complete garbage anyway.

"We need a ship," said Wren, nodding her head, before Tana could say anything else. "Mobius is… doing something really dangerous, that will probably get a lot of people killed. We need to be able to travel faster than Mobius can, so we can cut him off before he gets a chance to try anything."

Chia fiddled with the edge of her bandana, scratching her head briefly while she thought. "I mean… that sounds bad? But you're not giving me a lot of information. How do I know I can trust you either?"

Wren frowned, looking down at her feet. "Um…"

"We'll pay you off," said Merris, pointing.

Tana looked to Merris, this time.

"After we beat Mobius?" he offered, shrugging. "He's got a ton of money, right?"

Tana nodded her head. "Right, right. We'll sort it all out then. The most important thing is that we get where we need to go."

Chia thought about this for a few moments. "Well… All I'm really supposed to do is keep this ship running. If I'm taking it for a test flight, I'm the only one who can be the judge of that… So as long as I'm flying the ship, then it's never left my watch, has it?"

Wren's eyes lit up. "So you'll help us?"

Chia placed her crossbow back at her hip, shaking her head. "I don't know what kind of mess you guys are caught up in, but if I can get even with him, that suits me just fine. Like I said, this ship is practically mine, anyway."

Tana looked relieved, relaxing her shoulders at last. She nodded her head to Chia, who sort of grinned awkwardly in response. "So… where are we headed, anyway? I'm ready to take off whenever, but I can't take you anywhere unless you tell me more."

"Djose," said Wren, quickly. "I've heard the reason Mobius keeps his ship here is because it's too rocky to land anywhere near the town, but… If you can take us as close as you can, it'll help."

Chia rubbed the back of her neck, frowning. "I'll take you as close to the temple as I can, but you'll have to walk wherever you need to go in town. Got to be careful of the electricity running through the temple too. Sound good?"

Twill broke off of the group to find the cabins, while the others went with Chia up to the deck. As the ship started to take off, the ceiling of the hangar opened, and the ship began to rise into the dimming sky. It was nearly nighttime, but that wasn't stopping them.

The view was dizzying, and she was grateful the railing on the ship was so high as the ground started to grow smaller and smaller below them. She sank down to the floor of the deck, the air chilling her skin as they cut through the clouds. Maybe she would join Twill after all. Besides, she was feeling unrest after spending a couple of hours unconscious. Her body still felt stiff and strange, and she could still feel her ankle pulsing.

When Tana helped her get down to the cabin area, she finally explained herself. What was happening, and why they were going backwards, back to Djose, when Mobius would find out any time now that they had taken his ship.

The cabin area wasn't very large, it had a small living area with comfortable seating inside, meant for a handful of people, but the number of beds made it clear that the number of people it was meant for was probably lower than were currently aboard. The two beds were on the large side, however, so Wren anticipated sharing, once again. That still left one person out of the equation, but it seemed Chia was more than content in the cockpit of the ship.

The three of them had arranged themselves on the beds, so they were almost sitting in a sloppily-made circle, if they could be any closer together.

"Why does the spirit need you to go to Djose? There are easier ways to access the Farplane, if she wishes to communicate with you," said Twill, frowning.

"Yeah, I… didn't get a chance to ask, because everyone was already set up to destroy the ship," said Wren. "But… I just realized something."

"What's that?"

"Well, um… I told you about what I found before, in Djose? There is technically one place where the living can commune with the dead, without going to the Farplane," said Wren, rubbing her arm with her other hand.

"The Hall of the Hymn," mumbled Tana, nodding.

"Yeah," she said. She didn't realize how tired she felt until she stretched out across the bed. "I think Amalthea is probably a Fayth."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **From this point on, this version of the fic is up to date. Hopefully it stays that way, but I'm not very organized, haha.**


	23. Amalthea

They touched down in Mobius' ship before Djose's temple, and Chia allowed them to disboard before taking off again. Tana squinted up at the sun as the ship floated lazily above them, like a balloon. She sighed and gestured to the others to follow after them.

"I haven't been into Respira's base of operations since I was working on the accenting down there," she said as they walked, shrugging. "I pretty much kept clear of everything involving their group. I don't know if you know, but I'm not a huge fan of these big organizations."

"I feel weird about going back too," admitted Wren, wiping her palms on her shorts. "Um, but the last time we were here was when we were looking for you, so that's a step up."

Merris made a noise of agreement, nodding his head.

This time as they reached Mobius' mansion, they took the public entrance down into the sanctuary.

The presence of other people was certainly not something Wren had expected, as her previous experience was only with the nighttime crowd. The room was full of a handful of people exalting the statues of the high summoners that encircled the room and its crystalline benches.

"I didn't build those," said Tana, scrunching her nose up as she pointed at the statues. "He must be in good with someone in Bevelle."

It was… exactly the same. Maybe it was the energy of the people gathering, but Wren realized that there was little difference between the sanctuary that Mobius built for his followers and the temples of Yevon's reign. It was like someone had taken a slice of the world before the Eternal Calm, and preserved it. It seemed like something he would do.

Merris pointed at the back of the room. "Yeah, but you made that molding, didn't you? We've got to get to the lift."

As the group moved towards the entrance to the lift that would take them to the Hall of the Hymn, the crowd started to take notice. Murmurs of unease broke out as they made their way to the back. Without Mobius, though, none of them cared. Respira wasn't a militia. There was no fear without him. And they were already through the doors before anyone could say anything to them.

The song was reaching out to Wren, like an uncomfortable embrace as she felt the hymn in the soles of her feet and the palms of her hands as she stepped off of the lift. This was it.

She passed the Fayth stones belonging to the others Mobius had collected. Kianpraty. Leviathan. Those that she had yet to meet. Amalthea's stone was the one in the back center. She wanted to understand.

As she stood before Amalthea's stone, the Fayth herself appeared.

The image of a young, but serious girl formed in the air before them. Her dark skin shone in the flickering reflection of Pyreflies, her face framed by her long hair, pinned out of her face at the sides. The tunic she wore made her look very comfortable, dressed up with a flowing sash draped from her shoulder to her hips. The look in her eyes was somber, and resigned.

Amalthea waved meekly, scanning her eyes over the four of them, then placed her hands at her sides again, turning her attention entirely to Wren.

Of the choir ringing in Wren's ears, her voice was the clearest.

"So you _are_ a Fayth," said Wren, folding her arms. "...What are you doing in my head?"

"Um, you came to me first," she answered. "When you came here before, you touched my stone. It's been a while since anyone other than Mobius has been down here, so I was… curious. I felt something about you that was similar to him, but in a good way. I thought that you might be my only chance to do anything about my situation. So I bonded with you."

"Bonded?" asked Twill, making a face. Wren guessed that they probably had more experience with these kinds of traditions than her.

Amalthea made a vague gesture with her hands. "Formed a bond? I don't know. I've only been trapped in this stone for a few years. What I'm saying is that was when we connected."

Wren's expression had tightened considerably into a frown while she thought, eyes closed. "Why didn't you tell me that you were a Fayth sooner? I've just been calling you a spirit this whole time."

"I… didn't know if I was going to let you use my power or not?" she offered. "I thought you were similar to Mobius, and I was right. You have the same power as him. I mean, he had natural talent, and years of training, but you know what I'm talking about. I didn't know if I should let someone with that kind of power have mine too."

"I guess that's fair," mumbled Wren. She'd heard it before.

She didn't say anything for a few moments, waiting for anyone else to say anything. She rubbed her forehead with her palm, then looked back up at Amalthea.

"What did you want to tell me?" she asked, looking up at her. "Even if… you did ' _grant me your power,'_ what do I do with it? I'm not a summoner."

Amalthea shook her head. "You don't have to be. I just want to come along for the ride. I'll let you decide what to do with my power, but I want you to listen to me. I want to talk about Mobius, and what he did to me."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Finally a short chapter again. This one may be a little too short, I dunno. It's easier to digest like this though, because the next chapter miiiight have to be split into two chapters. I have it outlined, but haven't started writing it yet, so we'll see what happens.**

 **I describe Amalthea as "young" but I mean more in the sense of like... she's not 80 years old? I think she's 18, I wrote it down somewhere and forgot, but she's at least 18. That's why she doesn't talk like a benevolent god, tbh, but Mobius is... 23 now, I think so I don't know what his excuse is except that he sucks. I wrote this all down somewhere, I swear.**

 **Also we'll definitely see more of Chia, but her main purpose was to be a pilot when I needed one, so I hope I find more ways to use her in the future ;;**


	24. Listen to My Story (pt 1)

**A/N: This chapter has been split into two for easier digestion.**

* * *

Amalthea leaned heavily against the wall. Her instructor spared her no mercy, evidenced by the many bruises on her arms and legs from the wooden practice swords. Her body ached from strenuous training that had run so long, she had missed dinner.

The priests ate after the other youths in Yevon's training program, and they had offered her food from their own table, and commented that Mobius hadn't yet eaten either. Apparently he had yet to finish his own training for the day. She fixed a plate for him as well, to save him the trip.

She nudged aside the curtain of the instruction room with her back, balancing her a tray of food in each hand, and a practice sword under each arm.

"Try again," said Mobius' instructor. His posture was stiff and strict, his hands poised together elegantly in a way that made her feel like she needed to unclench her jaw. "Your posture is atrocious. Clear your mind, start again."

She set Mobius' food down on a nearby shelf for him to take when he had a chance.

His instructor eyed her with an unimpressed look. "Is that for him? I'm sorry to say he won't be eating until he's completed this sending. You might as well throw it away or eat it yourself, he won't be getting to it anytime soon at this rate."

Mobius was clearly exhausted. His hair was pinned out of his face. The reason his posture was off was because he seemed to have pulled something in his shoulder, trying not to move his arm too much as he favored his stance. Before him were a few scattered pyreflies which he was facing with his staff extended, trying to do… something.

He had yet to successfully perform a sending. He couldn't even get them to move, while his instructor, a former summoner himself, could do with no more effort than it took to boil an egg.

"You must be able to feel the pyreflies," said his instructor. "They ebb and flow like a tide, they are fluid. Let yourself be part of that flow, give it a push. Try harder."

Mobius stopped, shaking his head. His staff fell from his hands, clattering to the floor as he placed his hands on the sides of his face, hunching over as he groaned from stress. "I can't do it! I've been at this all day, I can't do it!"

The instructor began to berate him, shouting that he nearly had it that morning-he'd seen him move them once before, he could handle a sending-but Amalthea didn't hear.

She was too busy watching the pyreflies, a frown setting on her expression as she peered at them from across the room. Something in them was changing, the wisps were coming together, becoming a solid form in a flash of something that looked like the sun reflecting off of water.

There was a snarling, a glimmer of teeth and claws as it dropped to the floor.

In an instant, Amalthea was at his side, a sword in each hand as she lunged at the beast. The wooden blades were useless as swords, but perfect to use as a light bludgeon. The fiend was forcibly vanished before it even had a chance to reform, and the instructor sent it away before it had another chance.

The food Amalthea had been holding was splattered against the floor, the dishes intact, but devoid of their contents. She sighed heavily, then fell to her knees.

"Excellent work protecting your summoner, Amalthea," The man didn't bother to crack a smile. "You could learn something from her, Mobius. She takes her role as a guardian seriously. I would appreciate it if you could do the same as a summoner."

Mobius looked away from her, staring at the floor angrily. He said nothing. She knew he could do better, if he wasn't being worked so hard. No break, no food or drink, or even a chance to rest until he completed his task? Of course he couldn't manage it.

"We are finished for the day," said the instructor, moving towards the door. "That fiend was all I had left for you to practice on, so I will have to procure another subject before we can begin again. Perhaps with some rest, you'll retain some of my teaching."

"Don't bother sharing that with him, Amalthea," he added, pointing at the plate that was still intact. "Yevon does not give to those who do not put in any effort on their part to participate in our society."

He exited the instruction room, leaving Amalthea and Mobius alone to clean up the mess she'd made.

Mobius extended his good arm to her to help her back up, but still didn't make eye contact with her. She could see from the corners of his mouth that he was scowling.

"Go back to your room," she said. She looked down at the food on the floor. "I'll clean this up… Then I'll bring your food to you, so you don't get in trouble. I think one of the priests was sick in bed today, so they have a lot of leftovers. I'll grab something for myself so we can eat together."

He nodded his head as he collected his staff, and then excused himself from the room.

As she started to clean up the tray, she heard something slam against a hard surface, as if someone had thrown something at the wall.

The priests were far from her favorite people in the world, but they said that teenagers went through periods like this, where they acted out when they were frustrated with the world. Amalthea didn't know a lot of things, but she could tell when Mobius needed to be given some space. Perhaps he'd cool off by the time she made it back to his room with dinner.

That time came more quickly than she expected, and she soon found herself at Mobius' doorway, carrying two trays once again. She simply told the kitchen staff that Mobius had finished his training for the day, and his instructor had asked her to get his dinner for him. She wasn't sure why the staff trusted her word on the matter, since the two of them had been causing trouble for the monks since they met, but she guessed that even if they saw through her, they must be taking pity on him.

He did seem to have calmed down a little, staring wistfully out the small window in his room.

Since Yevon had placed them in the care of their training program, they had been given their own rooms, tucked away in a corner of the apprentices' sleeping quarters. Generally speaking, they were not to be out of their rooms after curfew, but Amalthea and Mobius followed the rules very liberally in the first place.

"Thanks," he said, though he still wouldn't look up. "He says it's your duty, but the adults should be the ones looking out for us."

Amalthea hummed softly, sitting down on his bed with her tray balanced in her lap. "They're too hard on you especially. We're still just kids by Yevon's standards."

"We aren't like other kids," said Mobius, shaking his head. He turned to her, then sat beside her on the bed, pulling the other tray into his lap. He pulled apart the bread she had brought for her, chewing thoughtfully. "We're special. We can't afford to relax like other people our age."

"That's just what they tell us," she said, snorting. "Don't tell me you think you deserve the way they treat you. Skipping dinner used to be for causing trouble, not for imperfections."

This time he gave a soft murmur of agreement. "I do think I need the coaching. I'm still not getting any better. I have to learn somehow."

Amalthea sighed, having to concede in some way. "I guess so. I still don't think it was fair for him to praise me just because I reacted first. He would have banished the fiend himself if I hadn't done anything. And he was the one distracting you by yelling at you for nothing, anyway."

"I can't say I'm very happy with that either, but it isn't like it's your fault. You were just doing your job. I'm grateful, but…" admitted Mobius, looking away again. "I still don't know anything about being a summoner." He took a sip from the small goblet she'd brought him, his eyes darkening. "It's not the first time they've wronged me, anyway. When my parents died, they dumped all of my family's money into their own funds. I couldn't get out of here if I wanted to."

"Do you want to?"

Mobius glanced at her for a second as if she'd asked if the sky was blue. "If I could, I'd take my money back and just… leave. Go somewhere far away from Bevelle."

"We could get a boat, and be just like real pirates," said Amalthea, snickering. "We can just live on the ship, get a real crew, plundering and pillaging until we retire. And we'll name the ship… Hyacinth. Like the flowers that grow in the garden." Her cheeks flushed when he tried to disguise a laugh as a cough. "You try and do better!"

"We're kind of old to be playing pirate, aren't we?" he asked. Despite his words, he couldn't stop grinning. "Going on my pilgrimage will have to be enough for me. At least I'll finally get away from this place, and I don't really care where I go as long as it's away from here."

As Amalthea opened her mouth, the sound of footsteps came from outside the doorway.

"Do they know you're here past curfew?" he mouthed to her.

She shook her head quickly, then shoved her tray to the side of the bed, and dove behind him, under the covers of his cot, a not at all convincing human-shaped lump under the blankets now.

The noise from trying to conceal herself probably attracted more attention than they would have if they'd simply held their breath until the person patrolling the hallway passed. Soon after she had hidden, a plump, pleasant looking monk poked his head into the room. He looked down at the two trays from the kitchen, which were both picked over almost thoroughly.

"You were supposed to have your lantern extinguished twenty minutes ago," he said politely, making no note of Amalthea.

Mobius nodded his head with his mouth pursed like he was hiding something in his mouth. The monk had to go before he became more suspicious than he should already have been. "I was training late until only ten minutes ago. I'll put it out when I've finished eating."

The monk seemed satisfied with that answer, nodding back to him. "Make sure you return your trays to the kitchen. I don't want to see any bugs in here."

"I will," said Mobius.

The monk said good night to him, then resumed his path down the hallway to check on the other children in the other rooms.

Amalthea waited until the monk's footsteps faded away to uncover herself without sitting up, staring up at the ceiling. "I was barely hidden at all, I know he saw my leftovers. Why didn't he say anything?"

"I've heard that the Final Aeon is stronger when the bond between the summoner and their guardian is stronger. Maybe they're… trying to push all of us to make friends as fast as possible." Mobius shrugged just a little, blowing a piece of her hair out of her face.

"We used to get into a lot more trouble than that," she said, wrinkling her nose. "They never let us off easy for anything. They still don't. My footwork might be improving, but I barely notice because my instructor is too good at hitting her mark. I've got the bruises to prove it."

"At least I get to take a break for a couple of days," murmured Mobius.

She nodded a little, then looked up at the ceiling. "Remember that one time we stole the Maester's clothes while he was bathing?"

"Malach gave us kitchen duty for a week. He said the son of the orphanage's best benefactors shouldn't be a bad influence to the younger children," he mumbled. "He said they couldn't keep making us go to bed without dinner because the other priests were concerned that we were too skinny."

To Amalthea, that conjured up images of a young, once round-faced boy, and a scrawny, defiant little girl sitting in the priest's meeting room as they awaited their scolding. The boy seemed unfazed and took the monk's words with little resistance, while the girl indignantly clung to her departed mother's long scarf, which was a deep sea green and far too long for her tiny body.

When they left the room, the priest sneaked a swig from an unlabeled jar, sighing in relief. Thinking about it, Malach may have had a drinking problem, but he was far from their concerns now that they were older.

"They let us off easy then, but not because they wanted to," she agreed. "You might be onto something. They're forcing us together."

* * *

Everything was happening far, far too quickly, and far, far too much for two untrained soldiers to manage.

Only two days before, Amalthea was informed that they were going to be enlisted in Bevelle's ranks amidst the chaos Yevon had become. Two of the maesters were dead, Maester Kinoc, and presumably Seymour as well. Word had come from the Ronso that their elder, Maester Kelk Ronso, had been slaughtered with a number of his people by Seymour himself.

The warrior monks and Crusaders had no real leader, and a young acolyte had been placed in charge as a spur of the moment decision. She became stressed out easily when asked to make a decision of her own, which became more than a little crucial when the Grand Maester disappeared as well, leaving no trace of him behind. They were told to presume him to be dead as well.

Only the day before, the entire city of Bevelle had joined each other in singing the holy song of the Fayth, the hymn that all of Spira placed all of their hope in. They didn't know quite why, but word spread all around the city that Yuna, a young summoner from Besaid, needed all of them to sing in order to defeat Sin.

Amalthea couldn't fathom why they were going along with her request. It wasn't so long ago that those within Yevon's higher branches had heard murmurs of Yuna and her unusually large company committing some great blasphemy, and she had been condemned to wander the canals somewhere beneath the temple. Now they had stood in the circle together, voices raised to the sky in an echoing chorus that could be heard across the map. In that moment, it almost felt like the long history of Spira had been all but a few minutes, a flutter of a butterflies wings. Certainly it hadn't been a millenium of pain, with only a few brief, intermittent pauses.

Then, Sin came. And then, Sin fell on top of the city. A slow, graceful descent of the reviled beast that ruled the sea and skies of Spira. Perhaps it would be over this time, but no one had time to ponder that, between the buildings it destroyed on the way down, and the monsters roaming the streets.

Sinspawn had poured into the city, terrorizing the crowds that gathered to gawk at the scene and scattering the soldiers-including newly uniformed soldiers, who had no idea how to perform in a unit, as they were now expected to.

Amalthea held the oversized firearm in uncertain hands. It had only one shot, and took some time to reload, and yet she was expected to use it to defeat the waves pouring into the temple? They no longer seemed concerned about the people, and the defense had been shifted towards Yevon itself. The young girl placed in charge of military operations didn't seem like the kind of person to give such an order, to ignore the cries of people who needed help. Amalthea wondered where the idea had come from in the first place.

The Sinspawn suddenly stopped, and she thought she heard someone call out to cease fire. Not that she had been firing in the first place, too reluctant to use her one chance on only one of the creatures. She nudged Mobius, dropping her gun to the ground.

The man beside her seemed exhausted, as he often appeared. He was a little too thin, and a bit taller than most of the monks, which made him seem sickly, apart from the healthy thickness of his long hair, which was secured in a long braid that ran down the back of his uniform. His shot had already been used earlier, when his nerves got the better of him and he fired too early on the approaching wave of Sinspawn. He did not succeed in hitting anything but the dust in front of the group perched on the long stone steps. He might have taken the time to reload, but they were low on ammunition as well, in the chaos.

"Let's get out of here," she had said. "Who cares about Yevon? We're going to die here, if we don't run."

Mobius had protested, but she gave him no time. She knew better than he did how to keep him alive and breathing. They were running through the streets together before their unit's leader could stop them, their heavy guns left behind.

Murmurs of the great beast's demise could be heard everywhere, but they paid them no mind. Sin was not to be felled so easily, not here in Bevelle, a far cry from the sacred grassy plains of the Calm Lands, and not without the Final Summoning.

As they ran to the city's edge, however, something strange began to happen. The Sinspawn before them fell over, each one bursting into a cascade of colors and lights before they even hit the ground.

"They're disappearing," she said, breathing. "Did… did they really do it? Is Sin dead?"

"No," said Mobius, standing up to look for himself. He didn't feel any better. In fact, he sounded miserable. "You can't _kill_ Sin. It always comes back."

Amalthea didn't think he sounded too sure. But then again, if the records were to be believed, people thought that Sin had been defeated for good _every_ time it had been defeated. This would be no different. Mobius would get his pilgrimage once Yevon got its bearings again, once Yuna's Calm ended. They would finally escape.

But then again, if Yevon still needed him, why were they wearing uniforms and carrying guns they didn't know how to use?

She didn't like any of this. Every new detail she considered made her want to run and hide. Some guardian she would have made.

She chewed on her thumbnail nervously. "Lets run away anyway," she said. "Now's the perfect time. No one is going to stop us. They're all too confused by what's going on around us."

Mobius was sprinting down the street again before he knew how to reply, with Amalthea staying only a short distance behind him so she could watch over him safely.

She didn't know where either of them planned to go. The sky was on fire. There were corpses everywhere, and they were the only soldiers in sight. No one so much as looked at them. They had their own problems to deal with, without wasting time begging for the help of deserters of Yevon.

The sky wasn't on fire, realized Amalthea. No, it was shimmering. It was alive, a swirling torrent of Pyreflies glimmering in the sinking, red sunlight that threatened to engulf all of Spira in its flame. And all of them were moving towards one location, where Sin had fallen, and the great airship hung just a little too low in the sky.

"Someone is channeling all of these?" asked Mobius, slowing his footsteps to gape up at the lights. "The way they're moving… this is a sending. Who is doing this?"

Amalthea shook her head, looking up as well. She almost forgot that both of them were out of breath, having covered a good amount of ground before they had to stop.

Some of the Pyreflies were from the newly dead, she realized. Some of them seemed just a little too close, and only getting closer.

An errant piece of the flow broke off, like a wave crashing against a rock, splashing seafoam against the land. Unfortunately, Mobius was the rock, or at the very least within splashing range.

He was on his knees the instant the Pyreflies retreated inside of him. She had almost missed it, and would have, if she had blinked. The Pyreflies were there one second, and then they were gone, and his ankles had given out beneath him, sending him to the ground. She hadn't reached him in time before he hit the hard dirt, but she couldn't tell if he was injured or not as she cried out to him.

He tried to sit up, but the motion made him feel nauseous and he rolled over instead, vomiting on the ground.

"Mobius!" she called again, kneeling beside him. She dragged her hands through her hair at her temples, falling to her knees at his side. "Forget running away… you need to see a medic, immediately."

Mobius hummed weakly, trying to agree with her as he dragged the back of his arm across his cheek in disgust.

She reached out to him, unfastening his armor as quickly as she could. "I can't carry you with all of this. Thank me for this later."

He didn't seem able to fight back, if he wanted to. She could tell he was fading, her heart racing harder than it had while they were running.

She heaved him up to her chest, carrying him bridal style back in the direction of the temple. He was taller than her, but not heavier, which she was grateful for, but her movement was too slow for her liking. She bit her lip, whimpering softly. She didn't understand what was happening, but she didn't want to lose him here. She wouldn't.

"Can you hear me?" she asked softly, trying to keep him awake. "I need you to talk to me. I need to make sure you're still with me. What day is it? Name all the maesters of Yevon, anything."

Mobius mumbled something incoherent in response to the date, and merely groaned at the state of Yevon, quite lucidly. So he could hear and understand, and probably had no idea what the date was, but something was still wrong. She could feel it.

"When we sang yesterday," he said slowly, his voice breaking up. "When we all sang the Hymn, before Sin came? I heard your voice the loudest. I couldn't hear anything else."

"What?" she asked, her eyes flicking down at him as she navigated the streets. "Keep going, I just need you to stay awake."

"Your voice is so beautiful," he said, pleasantly, his eyes falling shut. "I want to hear you sing again sometime."

She wasn't really in the mood to sing, so she didn't oblige him, but she promised herself she would one day. Something better than the Hymn, which had only caused her trouble. Anything more interesting than what she'd grown up with.

* * *

Mobius slept soundly for some time after his injury. He was recovering nicely, but most of his time was spent unconscious since the errant Pyreflies that split off from the great sending above the city attacked him. Amalthea had seen him move from the cot in his room a scant few times since bringing him back to his room. The temple had been undamaged by Sin falling on top of the city, and most of the damage had been done to the surrounding homes.

"I've come to inform you that Lady Yuna has felled Sin," said Father Malach, entering the room.

"Yes, we know," said Amalthea, reluctantly. "I heard about her speech in Luca… Why are you telling us this?"

"She is the first High Summoner to ever survive defeating Sin," replied the Father, flicking his wrist so his open palm faced the ceiling. "We believe this time will be different. And… some time has passed since then. At this point, we don't think Sin will return."

Amalthea felt a feeling of dread like a stone in the pit of her stomach. "Has anyone ever believed Sin will return after the start of a Calm? It's been defeated four times before. I remember the last Calm; we thought it would end then too."

"You were a child. We were taught of the cycle of death in Spira: the summoner leaves on their pilgrimage, the summoner defeats Sin, losing their life in the process, and then Sin returns not a month later," he said, growing impatient. "Lady Yuna has defied the odds against her and she is still with us. She did the one thing no High Summoner before her has ever managed. Those of us still remaining to oversee the prospective summoners and guardians in training no longer see any necessity in such a program."

She scowled, looking down at Mobius as he slept. His breathing was slightly shallow, but he remained asleep even through their conversation. "So what are you saying?"

"Since we no longer have a need to continue training summoners, we would like to place you both in the Warrior Monks, permanently," he answered.

"What?" she asked, laughing from disbelief.

"We need as many hands as can be spared for the rebuilding effort," said Malach. "We have nowhere else to put you, now that you've been passed over to make the pilgrimage."

"We were passed over because you kept putting it off," hissed Amalthea, her jaw clenched far too tightly. "He spent two weeks waiting to be given leave after he was granted the power to summon the temple's Aeon, and it was only then that Yuna defeated Sin."

"Would it have made a difference? At that time, we were busy dealing with the fallout of losing only one of our Maesters. If you had left, you would not have made it to Sin in time before she did the deed herself," he answered.

"But it isn't fair!" she complained. "I've spent my whole life trying to get away from Yevon, that's what his pilgrimage was supposed to be. I can't join the warrior monks."

"Where else will you go?" asked Father Malach, tilting his head with a look of indifference and superiority. He turned his back to her, nearly at the door's threshold. "Even if you completed your pilgrimage, both of you would have perished. No one ever planned for you to have a future outside of Yevon. This is all you have."

Amalthea gritted her teeth in disgust as he left without another word. She could feel her face steaming as hot tears pricked at her eyes.

"We won't have to answer to him when we're moved to the monks permanently," mumbled Mobius, almost reassuringly.

"Have you been awake?" she asked, quietly.

"Not for long. It was his foul mood that woke me," he joked slightly, giving a weak smile.

"This is awful," she said, shaking her head. She didn't much feel like being playful right now. The fact that he was feeling well enough to joke was a shock, all things considered. This affected his life far more than hers.

"It is," he agreed, trailing off as if he meant to say more, but he didn't. The playful tone was gone from his voice.

He didn't sit up, staring at the window, but not out it. He sighed heavily.

Their rooms would probably be converted into extra living space for the younger orphans, once they and the other apprentices were shuffled into the monks' barracks. She couldn't imagine what he must have thought of this. They had both spent their whole lives training to defeat Sin once and for all, but he was the one living in the highly praised spotlight that came with being a young summoner. She knew she would have a hard time adjusting to being just a face in the crowd, but for him…?

Who could say?

"What will we do?" she asked.

"I don't know yet," he admitted, shaking his head. "But there are others like us, who have been abandoned by Yevon. I bet they aren't very happy about their chance being taken away from them either."


	25. Listen to My Story (pt 2)

Despite New Yevon's threats, the apprentice summoners and young guardians that were slopped off into the ranks of the warrior monks were rarely dispatched after rebuilding efforts were well on their way. Bevelle's architecture was restored to its former glory, but its grip on Spira was forever lost. There was little purpose to keeping armed warriors on hand.

The new organization's leader promised a return to the balance that Yevon once provided, through the restoration of their culture. Young volunteers from across Spira were released under New Yevon to hunt down spheres containing records of Spira's history.

Amalthea couldn't be bothered, and had no interest in restoring Yevon. All she wanted was an escape, and a chance to put to use the abilities she'd been honing for years as a guardian in training. New Yevon was wasting their time, keeping them uniformed but basically confining them to cleaning duties. She felt trapped, without even the small consolations promised to her when she was forced into her new role.

Thankfully, her restlessness was a shared symptom between her and the other summoners and guardians no longer needed by New Yevon. Mobius took this opportunity to form his own secret society, which he called Respira: those who would breathe new life into Spira. Through this, they organized meetings in their free time to continue sparring in secret. This was how she kept herself in fighting condition, and it was little acts of rebellion like her mother's long sash she wore over her rarely needed uniform that kept her stable.

Within New Yevon, a position had opened for a single person to review the spheres brought in by the hunters to see if they actually contained valuable information or not. Mobius, left to his own devices, had volunteered, and his duties with the monks had been adjusted to fit this new role. When he wasn't reviewing spheres as New Yevon's sole record keeper, he was busy reading, scouring over texts leftover from the thousand years of Sin's reign of terror.

Truthfully, though he spent little time doing anything besides studying, he was looking for a way to fit into the new world without summoners and guardians. If that meant taking former summoners and guardians and storming Yevon himself, that's what he would do.

Often, though, studying meant breaking to places they weren't meant to be. Yevon's secrets were tightly guarded, even under Trema's insistence that they were preserving their history. Mobius was the only one allowed to view the spheres he received, and he never spoke of their contents either. Their libraries were equally well-kept.

"Trema frightens me," said Amalthea, mumbling softly as she paced the area behind the desk Mobius was seated at in the abandoned library. "He's the only one permitted to use the libraries, and I've only seen him come here once. If we get caught…"

She couldn't quite place why the ancient looking man made her so nervous, but that's how it was. Insubordination, even in lazy New Yevon, was a serious offense. Their plans to desert had yet to be solidified, so there was no room for error.

"That is why you are here, watching the door for me, isn't it?" said Mobius, not looking up from his work. He nudged his glasses back up the bridge of his nose by the frames.

It wasn't just the prospect of desertion that had her worried, either. Mobius was neglecting himself, and spent far more time than was actually allowed sleeping. He woke too early, began the day's work, then after dinner, he would slink off to the library, with or without Amalthea. She was sure he would run himself ragged, but she was far more destructive to herself than he was, her nerves very close to eating her alive.

"If you're worried, you don't have to be here with me," he said. "I don't exactly need protection from the old priests. Kianpraty said he was looking for you, before you came to meet me. Sounds like your friends miss you."

"Well, we're not really that close," she shrugged, picking at her nails. "I mean, we get along, but we're just letting off some steam. I can miss a few nights to be with you."

"Well, there's nothing to fear from Trema, since he's never here either," admitted Mobius, pressing his thumb to his lips while he thought. "But there's no risk of anyone else coming to check either. Trema has all of Yevon's secrets under lock and key. No one but me has access to the spheres brought in by the hunters. Don't you want to know why?"

Amalthea tilted her head towards him, turning away from the door hesitantly. "...Why?"

He turned away from his books to look at her, resting one arm over the back of his chair. "Because, there are no spheres to view. After I review them, they're treated as if the hunters brought in junk spheres and destroyed. Trema has no interest in preserving history."

Amalthea blinked, then gave a sharp laugh. "All of that effort, all of those sphere hunters clogging up the city, and it's for nothing? Why go through the trouble?"

"Because he's intentionally covering it all up," he said, smiling faintly, as if he found the whole thing amusing. "I don't know why. I can't pretend to read minds. Maybe he's trying to prevent something like Sin from ever happening again. Most of the spheres of any value are of Zanarkand, before the war a thousand years ago. I suppose he's trying to cover up the events leading to its creation."

"So that's why you're so interested in the spheres," said Amalthea, nodding. "Because of the dreams, right?"

"There's a lot to learn from these ancient records. To be honest… Some of the more interesting ones I've kept for myself. Not that Trema himself could tell the value of one from the home videos."

"You've been stealing from the sphere stash?" she asked, eyes wide. "And you didn't tell me?"

"Well, your presence has become a little scarce recently. I hear Levy has been making eyes at you ever since you destroyed him during a sparring match," he said, chuckling as he turned back to his reading. "But it isn't as though you would stop me. Both of us are looking for a purpose, aren't we?"

Amalthea sighed. He was right. "I hate this place. I'd do anything to get out of here. Even the friends I've made here aren't worth having no freedom and nowhere else to go. And Levy should try keeping his eyes to himself."

The lifestyle of a warrior monk on reserve was destroying her. She was exhausted from balancing her daily chores as well as keeping her activities during her free time a secret. Mobius might be spending all of his time reading late at night, but she spent her nights restless and frustrated, and more importantly: wide awake.

Mobius hummed a little at that, smiling. "If your nerves really are getting the better of you, you'd better get comfortable. There's enough material here to keep me busy for quite some time."

"I can't get comfortable," she mumbled. "When are we doing to do something? We've got enough people who spent their entire lives training in combat and magic to make a break for it. All of them will fight for you before they lift a finger for Yevon."

He sighed in response, running a hand through his recently trimmed hair, though it remained barely past his shoulders. His own wear became evident in his eyes. "There's nothing I can do right now. This is the only way to keep access to the knowledge I seek."

That's what he'd meant to say, anyway. Before he finished speaking, the library's door was flung open. A lone guard making the rounds must have heard them speaking. Mobius had been correct when he said a guard entering the library was a very rare occurrence, proven by the stunned expression on his own face.

"You," growled the guard, narrowing his eyes at Mobius. "What are you doing down here?"

Mobius froze for a split second, his mind racing. "Studying," he said, somewhat truthfully. "As record keeper it is my duty to have a comprehensive knowledge of Spira's rich history."

"Even if I believed Lord Trema gave you permission to enter his personal library, that hardly explains why you brought her with you," he said, jerking his head towards her with suspicious eyes. "I caught the other orphanage guardians practicing their training on each other not fifteen minutes ago. One of them told me where I would find her, and I'm shocked that it would be one of the most trusted members of New Yevon I find snooping around here."

"I assure you, I was the one who asked her to be here," urged Mobius, rising to his feet as the guard approached Amalthea.

The guard was no longer listening to him, interested now in the sea green scarf hung over the girl's uniform. Her body shook as it felt like her worst nightmare was coming true. Right when they had gotten comfortable in their new lifestyle, right when they were getting ready to make a move, it was all going to end.

"Your uniform isn't to be disrespected with trinkets," he said, his hand reaching towards the fold of the scarf at her shoulder.

"It's my mother's," she breathed. "It's all I have from her-I wear it all the time."

"Maybe the other monks are too soft on you," he offered. "None of you whelps are better than the rest of us, even if you were a guardian. We all have to follow the same rules."

Amalthea backed into the shelves behind her. The guard, with his hand still outstretched and his breath so close she could feel it as he towered over her, snatched her scarf away. It came away easily, only causing her to stumble slightly as the loose knot that fastened it was undone. He was still too close, between her and Mobius. The sea shimmered in the guard's balled up fist, rippling in the air as his hand fell to his side.

She shrieked, and Mobius was standing beside them suddenly. As her hands started to claw at the guard, he put his own arm out to hold her back from him.

Mobius overestimated his strength, however, and she shoved him aside easily. She barreled into the guard with the butt of her issued firearm that hung from a belt around her shoulders, causing him to groan in confusion.

Amalthea tossed her gun aside, then lunged at the guard herself, punching him in the stomach repeatedly. As the wind was knocked out of him, he fell to his feet and released the scarf to hold his thoroughly bruised midsection.

She stopped paying attention to the guard, scooping the sash up in her arms and running back to Mobius before he could catch his breath - or her, for that matter.

Mobius dragged his hands down his face as he weighed his options. Things were going to get a lot harder, if Amalthea was made to suffer for her actions. On the other hand, they weren't ready to take over yet, either.

But there was a third option.

"Alright. It looks like I can grant your wish after all," said Mobius, looking pityingly down at the injured guard. "I want you to run and get the others. It sounds as though they've been disciplined themselves, but you must find them. Tell them to grab everything they have and run. We're leaving tonight, even if Trema himself tries to stop us."

Amalthea was cradling her mother's scarf, and her eyes went wide in surprise. "They will try to stop us-what should I do?"

"Do what you have to. Nothing is more important than escaping right now. Tell the others the same thing," he said. "Now run as fast as you can. I'll take what I can from here and I'll meet you outside."

"You can't go alone," she whispered, shaking her head. "If more monks come after us…"

"My magic is stronger than you think," he said, smiling slyly. "Just trust me. Besides, even if I don't make it, you'll get your freedom."

Amalthea paused for a moment to consider this, then nodded faintly. She didn't say another word, springing out of the door as if a darting viper.

Mobius turned his attention to the writhing soldier once again, raising his arm. The air in the room went dry and reeked of sulfur. His hair, shorter than it had been before being dumped into the warrior monks' ranks, rustled and stood on end as the magic surged through him. His fingertips began to crackle as a glowing light emerged from them, sparks flying from around his arm.

He couldn't leave any loose ends. The fewer people who tried to stop their escape, the better. Especially when he needed to borrow a few more of the library's sacred tomes.

* * *

The departure from New Yevon had created quite a disturbance within the organization, but was kept very quiet outside of the temple.

When they were settling things with New Yevon, the reasons given were disgustingly simple. They were embarrassed, frankly, that a young group of prospective summoners and guardians had caused so much internal damage. There were several casualties to the warrior monks present during the mass desertion; mainly injuries, but at least one soldier had lost their life. In addition were the stolen spheres, as well as a very large sum of money from their vaults, a portion of which was generously donated back to the temple by an anonymous source. This was all organized, of course, by the man designated by Trema himself to protect the secrets of Spira's past. While that information was not common knowledge, the significance of his position was not lost on those under Trema, who sought to cover the whole thing up as well.

As such, while Mobius was no longer a member of Yevon, he was allowed to live within Bevelle in a modest home, and he aided the others in getting back on their feet as well.

Now that Amalthea had everything she wanted, her friend, her freedom, she was elated. The only thing missing was that she could tell Mobius didn't feel the same way. He was still working, spending a great deal of time with his books, and the other half of that time asleep.

He spoke of dreams of Zanarkand, insisting that he was studying even in the resting world.

"In order to return things to the way they once were, I must bring back Sin," he said one day, finally confessing to her his wishes. "The pilgrimage must continue. But without the beast, there's no reason for the pilgrimage."

Amalthea stood behind him at his desk, as she so often did. She brushed her fingers through his hair, which fell much longer down his back after only a year, and began to braid it idly as he spoke.

"Sin?" she asked softly.

"You don't sound surprised," he said, humoring her by holding still.

"I'm not," she admitted. "It's… kind of scary. I know you were working on… on learning how to create a Fayth. The idea of bringing back Sin just doesn't feel real to me."

"Like a dream?"

"Yeah, kind of. I can't say I'd be too sorry if Bevelle burned again because of it," she said, pressing her lips into a line. "I'm just glad to be away from Yevon, but if anything happened to them…"

She finished braiding the small portion of his hair, then undid the loose strands, sighing softly. "...How will you do it?"

Mobius frowned at that, smoothing his hair, then leaning back in his seat to think while he closed his eyes.

"It isn't currently possible. I already made a breakthrough on the creation of a Fayth stone, as you know," he said, shaking his head. "The secrets of the summoners of Zanarkand are poorly kept, but very rare."

"Recent events haven't helped much either. Even being able to review the spheres firsthand, I didn't have time to properly analyze many of them," he mumbled.

"But you kept the important ones," Amalthea added pleasantly.

He nodded slightly. "But there's no telling how many I dismissed that could have proven useful if I'd only known more."

He rose out of the chair, pushing it closer to his workspace, and Amalthea stepped back to accommodate him.

"But none of that matters. If I can create a Fayth powerful enough to remake Sin…"

That caused Amalthea to snap her head up in attention. "The Fayth create Sin?"

Mobius paused to look at her somewhat oddly. He had a strange expression, almost pitying. "Sort of… Sin is created from a number of things, not the least of which is a regular Fayth. The temple Aeons were created to provide summoners with the tools to reach Zanarkand, but not meant to be used to defeat Sin. It might be possible, but the Final Aeon is what keeps the temple Aeons from being consumed by Spira's natural order."

He swallowed, then started to elaborate. "That is… each time Sin has been defeated, what actually happens is that Sin's summoner takes control of the summoner's Aeon, and then uses it to repair the husk that Sin becomes. Each Fayth used in the final summoning became the next Sin. Yunalesca's own husband, Lord Zaon, would be the first. As for the others… guesses can be made based on the names of legendary guardians past, but we don't know for certain."

"The guardians?" asked Amalthea, feeling tendrils of ice curling in her stomach. "The guardians become the Fayth?"

Mobius rubbed at his neck, turning away from her. "You… didn't know? Not a single fully realized pilgrimage has ended without tragedy. I'm shocked no one ever told you during your training… You must have known that the final summoning would have ended my life as well, didn't you?"

Amalthea bit her lip, that chill refusing to leave her, but there was sorrow weighing heavy on her heart as well. "They told me that I would protect you until you performed the final summoning, and that doing so would kill you, but I had no idea about the Final Aeon…"

She understood now why callous Malach had said there was no place for children like them in the real world, but it stung. She didn't even have any real plans for herself. But being lied to, and all while being used by Yevon…

She clenched her fist angrily. "What's one more reason for Yevon to burn? I wonder if the others knew either…"

"Some of them may have figured it out, but it's like everyone said. Where would we go after leaving, if we hadn't done what we all did? And the Final Aeon becoming Sin is hardly common knowledge," he offered. "As I said, I've already successfully created one Fayth stone. Nautilus volunteered herself. She knew the risks of becoming a recognized guardian of Yevon."

"What happens if you summon Sin? Where will you be in this equation?" she asked, forcing her fears back to where they came from.

"I don't exactly know," he admitted. "But my days as a summoner will be over, either way. I suppose… I'll become like Yu Yevon, summoning Sin over and over. I have the souls of Sin's victims within me, and the ability to create a Fayth powerful enough to bring forth the terror of Spira."

Amalthea started to speak, her head tilting inquisitively as she brought forth another very good point, but no sound came out.

The vision was fading away.

 _"...Then what will I do?"_


	26. Say Thank You

The display started to dissolve as the Hall's main chamber came into view between shimmering pyreflies that reformed into Amalthea's human shape. The only thing showing that she was no longer among the living was the fact that her feet did not quite reach the floor. Her eyes still held a sort of wistfulness and pain, and her hands fidgeted in her sash once more.

For a few moments, no one wanted to speak, not quite meeting the girl's eyes. No one needed to ask what happened next. Even if they didn't understand the details of the process it took to create a Fayth, the truth in the very air felt suffocating.

Wren had realized she could pick Amalthea's voice out of the hymn that echoed throughout the many chambered Hall. She felt even more afraid of what could have happened to Tana if Mobius had succeeded in killing her, but looking at Amalthea's memories, she was relieved he hadn't done the deed himself. She wondered if he had planned to come back for Tana later. Actually, she didn't want to think about that.

Finally, Amalthea broke the silence. "Mobius has tried to commune with me since then, more than once, but I've never granted him my power after what he did. The others… I don't know what they knew before this was done to them, but I was the first, and I can only assume he has their Aeons already."

"Um… yes, I've seen two of them," admitted Wren, looking at the floor. "The one he used in Macalania was… Leviathan?"

Amalthea gave a small snort. "Idiot. I guess in the end they trusted him more than I did. More and more people came on board with… whatever they believe Mobius' goal is. I know he hasn't told the regular members about Sin. But even I didn't stop to think until it was too late."

"Trying to revive Sin?" asked Tana, curling her lip in bewilderment in a way that had Twill gravitating to her side comfortingly. "You never thought that was wrong?"

"...I can't tell you what was going through my head then. To be honest, I was only thinking about my own problems growing up. I didn't think about the consequences, or I didn't care," said Amalthea. "I never said that it made sense. I only want you to understand that I will help you, and only you."

"Us?" asked Wren, looking up. "Wh-wait. What do you mean?"

Amalthea waved her hand a little, the other hand going to tug at a section of her thick hair. "Well… I'm a Fayth. I can't really move from where my stone is on my own, physically, so when you entered the Hall before I latched onto you then, thinking you might be able to help put an end to Mobius."

Wren felt deeply conflicted before Amalthea even finished speaking. While she wondered what it would take to stop him from carrying out his will, she wasn't ready to kill anyone. Still, she felt she had to try to stop him through any means. She would try her way first-without taking his life.

"I can't kill him," she said, shaking her head. "But I'll do whatever I can. I'll find him, I'll talk to him if I can. If it has to come to it, I hope I don't have to…"

"You don't know him," said Amalthea firmly, shaking her head. "You won't be able to change his mind, and if you try you'll put yourself in a lot of danger, if he knows you'll try to stop him. I trust you to make up your mind in the end, if only because you're the only one who can do it."

"Why am I the only one?" she asked, gesturing to her friends. "I wouldn't ask any of them to do this either, but… you're asking me to become a summoner? To call your Aeon and use it against Mobius?"

"It's the pyreflies," said Twill, placing their hand on their chin. "The pyreflies that fell when Sin was defeated, Mobius had a piece of them. And you have two pieces now, don't you? Am I right?"

Amalthea nodded enthusiastically. "I think in order to recreate Sin, Mobius needs the pyreflies that came from it. I don't know what they are exactly, but his magic became much more powerful after he came to. You're a mage too, aren't you Wren?"

She wrinkled her nose at that. She wasn't an expert, by any means, but when she had set out from Luca she had only known a basic fire spell, expecting to use it for utility, to start a fire if need be. Since Kilika, though… Even that simple spell seemed somehow amplified, and the few times she'd cast without her staff had been far easier than when she practiced alone before leaving home. Was that because of the pyreflies?

"Sort of… yes, I suppose so…" she said. She didn't want to believe that none of that was because of her own work. Maybe she would bring it up to Twill later. "So because of the pyreflies, you think I'll be able to summon your Aeon?"

She tried not to think about the implication that she also had the ability to summon Sin, in theory. Even if she would never use that power, she didn't think she should have it to begin with.

"I do," said Amalthea. "That's why I want to ask you if you will bear my will, and use me to whatever means you must in order to stop him. Will you help me?"

Wren nodded her head. "I will."

"Then I will give you the ability to call forth my Aeon. Whenever you need me, I will do whatever I can in my power, and if you need to speak to me again, you know how to find me," said Amalthea.

Before Wren could really react, Amalthea's form started to glow, illuminating the statue of Yunalesca above them, and causing the group to shield their eyes. She felt something moving towards her, being drawn to her, and then the light was gone.

And so was Amalthea.

Her knees felt weak, and she held her head, looking as if her feet were about to give under her.

Merris, who was the closest, put his arms around her shoulders to steady her if she started to fall.

"Is she going to pass out?" asked Merris, looking at the other two.

"I don't think so," said Wren, weakly. "Um… but can you help me get back to the ship? I think I need to sleep this off."

"Can you walk?" asked Merris. "I'll carry you."

Wren shook her head, brushing his hand aside gently. "I'm okay. Just let me lean on your shoulder, maybe?"

"We can share," teased Tana, taking her other side to usher Wren to the lift that would take them back to Respira's meeting place, to the town, and back to the ship where Chia was waiting for them.

As they boarded the ship again, Chia greeted them with a worried expression as Wren wavered between leaning on the two much taller siblings shoulders. "What happened to her? Did you run into Mobius?"

Twill laughed softly, a little nervously. "No, but we've still got a lot of work ahead of us, apparently. She's going to need some sleep before we can move on."

Chia chattered with Twill and Merris, as Wren made her way with Tana to the cabin, where she helped her into bed.

If Wren thought that sleep would be an escape from the situation she found herself in, she was wrong, for as soon as her head hit the pillow, she was face to face with Amalthea once more.

It surprised her, actually.

Before, she had never seen Amalthea's face, until they met inside the Hall, but now she was seeing her face in her dreams as well. Wren wondered if it was because she had no face to place to the name before, or if it was because she had received her Aeon. Did that even have an effect on dreams?

"There you are again," said Wren softly, nervously. She felt a little strange, seeing her face to face, as evidently real as her own physical form, within the dream.

They were standing in the fountain court again, sitting side by side at the fountain's base.

"Here I am," she said, agreeing.

Wren didn't know if there was very much for them to say to each other, after spending an extensive amount of time speaking already. Except…

"Um… I don't mean to sound like we can only talk if I need something, but do you have any advice?" asked Wren, after a few moments. "I mean… I don't know how to summon. Is it just something you feel? Will you come if I call you? Where should I go next, if we have to cut Mobius off from reaching the remaining temples?"

Amalthea leaned back, balancing with her arms on the stone behind her. "I don't know anything about summoning. I can tell you what I saw Mobius do, but even though being in this state has changed my perspective on… a lot of things, actually, I don't know any more than I used to about technique. I've never been summoned before."

"Alright, but you can offer a little. Okay," she said, nodding. "We'll come back to that, I'll definitely have to find someone who can teach me. What about Mobius?"

"I don't know that much about what's been going on outside, except for what you've already seen," admitted Amalthea. "Um… I guess the obvious is that he's probably going to go to Zanarkand. Anywhere there's a temple… Actually, I heard him say something once, a little bit after the Calm began, he mentioned something about a cavern in the Calm Lands, where there was a Fayth stone. Before the temple Fayth all disappeared, anyway. Apparently, there was some kind of tourist attraction there, but from what I heard, it didn't go very well because of particularly powerful fiends…"

"That's kind of disturbing," said Wren, frowning. "If it was that dangerous…"

"Yeah, I don't know," she said, shrugging. "Mobius said the Fayth was probably moved there by someone trying to put a stop to the pilgrimage, but obviously it didn't work. Whoever put it there probably intended for it to be dangerous. Making it into an attraction for the whole family probably wasn't the best idea."

"Oh, yeah, but as far as Sin goes," she added, sitting up again. "I don't know where the actual summoning will take place. I keep thinking about how big Sin is… There isn't a lot of sacred ground with enough space to create something like that. Mobius is… big on tradition, to say the least."

"It'll probably be the Calm Lands, then," said Wren, nodding. "That's… where summoners go to fight Sin, right? Plenty of room for… that. I bet that's where he'll go."

Amalthea gave a small hum of agreement. "I think so too. If he's making his way across Spira, one temple at a time… He probably hasn't gone all the way, yet. You could find the others, and cut him off in Zanarkand. That's as far as you can go. If you cut him down there, he'll never even make it to the Calm Lands."

Wren turned to look at the water behind her, that frown returning. "Yeah… I'm not excited about the idea of killing someone, even for your revenge. I promise, I'll do something, but not that."

"It's not just about revenge though, right?" asked Amalthea, wrinkling her nose in a frown. "I'm not the only one who deserves peace. What about Tana? The other people he's tricked?"

Wren shook her head quickly, her hair flying everywhere with the force. "I don't know. I'm not a murderer, I barely know how to defend myself from fiends, that's why I hired Merris and Twill in the first place. I promise, I'll think of something."

Amalthea's expression was dark, but she turned her expression to the water too. "We'll see. Again, I'll do what I can for you. If you can manage to summon me, I'll follow your instruction, but if things go badly and you haven't pulled it together by then, I'll be happy to put an end to him myself. In fact, I insist on it."

Now Wren was decidedly uncomfortable. She'd been getting increasingly weird feelings from Amalthea ever since she started to learn more about her. She felt Amalthea was just a very confused, and very hurt young girl, but she feared that her detachment from the living world had somewhat skewed her perception of the living. Or had she always sort of been like that? It might be both, she thought, thinking of what she'd seen. Either way, she was focusing very hard on keeping Amalthea out of her head again.

"Um, I'll think of something," she said, quietly.

Amalthea was playing with the water, letting the ripples run over her fingers. She was listening, and it was clear she wasn't satisfied, but she was being very patient in spite of that. Thankfully.

"I think… I'll go to Besaid," said Wren, changing the subject. "I'm pretty sure Mobius has already visited the temple there, but… I need to learn how to use your power. The only person I know who can tell me what I need is High Summoner Yuna."

"...That makes sense," mumbled Amalthea.

She could tell Amalthea wasn't thrilled about that either, but she doubted her grudge over being prevented from leaving Bevelle was with Yuna herself. She couldn't deny the bitterness in her tone, however.

"Um, Amalthea," started Wren, glancing away. "Before anything else… I know you've been through a lot, and you told me yourself that we're in this situation because I just happened to be there, right? I just want to say that I'll listen, if you need to talk. I feel like the people that you're used to aren't the best at hearing out other people's feelings, you know?"

She wasn't sure what she was getting into by offering, but it seemed polite to do so.

Amalthea seemed surprised by that. "Oh. Yeah, today is probably the first time I've ever spent so much time talking about myself. Thanks for offering, I guess."

That made Wren feel a little better. If they could understand each other, maybe Wren could do more for her than just get revenge. Maybe she could put her at ease, too.

Not that Amalthea's way was completely off the table, though. If it came down to it, Wren really thought she might have to take someone else's life. It was scary, no matter who it was.

But understandably, she didn't think Amalthea had such reservations.


	27. Take Your Time

The Hyacinth hung low in the dimming sky off the shores of Bevelle's beach. Any suggestion to move closer to the village was met with Chia's insistence that it was too late to bring the noise of the engines so close to people's homes.

In truth, it was not terribly late, but even if Wren saw the young High Summoner that night, she would have to wait until morning before she could start learning. There was certainly wisdom to the young mechanic's words.

Still, it was not too late to find a place to stay for the night. The walk from the beach to the village was not long, but in the dark it became a little more treacherous. With an uncomfortable awareness of what she was doing, Wren walked in front, cradling a brilliant flame between her hands to light their path.

It was near the halfway point to the town, however, near a small shrine that overlooked the village, that the four travelers stopped to take a short break.

"It feels like a waste to stop now, since it's so close," said Tana, peering down at the softly glowing lights of Besaid Village.

"I'm sorry, I'm still feeling a little weird from Djose," mumbled Wren, wincing as she knelt down to the ground. She brought one hand away from the light, causing it to diminish in size, but it still illuminated a few feet around her. "I didn't mean to sleep so late either, but like I said: weird."

Tana mumbled politely, nodding her head as she looked towards the shrine Wren sat nearby. She tilted her chin forward, raising an eyebrow, then moved closer, looking at something that was only just out of the flame's light.

"Are these… someone's clothes?" she asked, pointing.

Wren turned around as the curiosities of Twill and Merris were both piqued. Tana reached out and grabbed a bundle of cloth from the foot of the statue. It was folded, only a little haphazardly, but she could make out that it was a light top with a very heavy skirt underneath it when she held them strangely, causing them to unfold almost completely as the skirt nearly slipped out of her grasp.

"Who's leaving their clothes out here?" asked Merris, making a face. "Do people leave offerings at shrines like this, when there's a temple down there?"

Twill was looking where Tana had dropped the clothing, and found what had actually fallen: a thick towel, dry and unused.

"I don't know if it's an offering," they said, watching as Tana refolded the garments. "But… There is a small lagoon nearby that leads to the ocean. I wonder if there's someone down there now."

"We'd better leave it alone anyway," said Wren softly, as if afraid of being caught by the moonlight swimmer. "Put them back where you found them…"

The sound of grassy footsteps coming up the hill behind them surprised them, and Tana nearly dropped the clothes once again, opting to toss them lightly back to where she'd found them.

Wren noticed there was actually another path coming from down the hill, but it was not as well traveled as the one they had come from. Coarse grass grew over it, except for in the middle, where it was bare. And standing in the middle of it was the soaking-wet figure of a young woman, dressed in her bathing suit.

"Oh!" she said, surprised to see them crowded around her discarded clothing. "I didn't think anyone else was here, I'm sorry. I left those here to keep them dry, but…"

Wren paused, getting to her feet at last. "Lady Yuna?"

She brought her other hand to the fire, bringing more light to the surrounding area so that they could finally see that it was indeed Yuna who stood before them, soaked to the bone as she presumably came from the nearby pool of water.

Twill shyly passed her the towel, murmuring an apology.

"Wait a second, is that you, Wren?" asked Yuna, so surprised that she scarcely noticed Twill's words as she took the towel. "It's been so long since I heard from you, I was starting to get worried! Every time I tried to contact you, my CommSphere could only pick up static, so I was ready to assume the worst when you said you were going to jump into the Farplane."

Wren looked a little embarrassed, glancing to Tana briefly, then at the ground. "Oh, um… It broke, actually. No one was hurt when we jumped, and obviously we made it back out alright, but I guess it fell out of my pocket…? I'm really sorry."

Yuna breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad that's all it was. Don't worry about it. I know I said it was special to me, but truth be told, the reason there are so few of them left is because a lot of them ended up broken in some way or another. I'm really just glad you're all okay."

She looked up at Tana, then smiled. "But I see a new face too… Are you Merris' sister, by any chance?"

Tana offered her hand to Yuna, who moved the towel over her shoulder to politely shake with both of her hands. "I'm Tana."

"Oh, thank goodness," said Yuna, nodding. "I'm so glad they were able to catch up with you. When they said you might be stranded in the Farplane…"

"You have very soft hands," she added, glancing down. "And I think you must be very lucky, to be left alone down there and still be here with us today."

Tana managed a weak smile, thanking her as she pulled her hand away. Wren wondered if she had really fully recovered from her time trapped there. Tana had a lot on her plate, in her position, and she would be surprised if she wasn't feeling the gravity of their situation.

"Um, Yuna," Wren started, hesitantly. "I know it's getting late, but I actually came here because I need your help."

"Oh? With what?" asked Yuna, running her hands through the ends of her still quite damp hair.

"...I need to learn how to summon an Aeon," said Wren, frowning. "I didn't plan on asking you until tomorrow, and we were going to stay the night in town, but as long as you're here, this is actually a pretty serious issue..."

Yuna's face fell immediately as a number of emotions flickered in her eyes. Mostly, she seemed sad. "...For your sphere, right?"

Wren rubbed the back of her neck, then shook her head. "No, actually. I wish it was."

The four of them started to explain what they had learned to her. Starting with all that they knew about Mobius' intentions, and ending in Djose again, where Wren had been granted the power to summon the first Aeon created by him. The significance of the creation of several Aeons was not lost on Yuna, and her sadness only deepened, the more she heard.

"The four of you never should have gotten caught up in this. I should be the one to take care of him," she said. "It's too dangerous, and knowing that he was once a prospective summoner himself… I can't believe that someone raised to defeat Sin would ever try to bring that kind of misery back to Spira."

"That's a bit of a simplification of the whole thing," said Merris. "It's not like the temple has a glowing record of bringing up kids without inflicting some kind of trauma on them."

"No, you're right," sighed Yuna. "For a while, I was raised by the monks in Bevelle too, and I can say it was not a pleasant experience, even as a little girl. The people at the temple here in Besaid are much kinder. But the pilgrimage never should have started as it did in the first place, I'll agree with you. And no child should be raised just to die for a world they've never even experienced."

Wren could hear she was holding something back, disgust dripping like venom from her words. She must have felt betrayed by Yevon as well, as so many other people did. However, Yuna had turned those feelings into something constructive instead. It must be hard on her, Wren thought, not everyone could live the way she does after what Yevon put its summoners through.

"You don't need to go after Mobius," insisted Wren, shaking her head. "I mean… I know it's dangerous, but it's not any safer for you to go instead of all of us. Unless you want to come with us… I think I need to be the one to do it. I told you about the Pyreflies he's gathering, that came from Sin? I have the rest. Whenever I get near them, they come to me instead. So I'm going to cut him off, hopefully before I ever have to confront him. But if I do… he's got a lot of powerful Aeons, and I only have one. I won't let anyone stand up to that unless I can learn. We can't fight him without that power."

Yuna's expression looked weary, and she pulled her towel tightly around her sides, frustrated. "I don't like the idea of sitting on the sidelines while this is happening, but I can't just disappear from Besaid either. There's too much to take care of here. Someone has to make sure people are prepared, in case something terrible does happen. And now that most people have a sour taste left in their mouths from Yevon, it's going to be hard to convince people that they're in danger…"

This transition was going to be very hard on Spira, if it did come true. There was no way around that.

"Then teach me how to summon," said Wren. "We only need to defend ourselves, I won't let him summon Sin. I have a promise to the Fayth he created to stop him, if I can just learn how to use her power, I can stand a chance against him."

"I really don't like this," said Yuna, shaking her head. "But I'll teach you. You are right about one thing: if you do run into him while you're collecting the rest of these pieces of Sin, you'll stand a much better chance against him if you have the same kind of power as he does. I can show you some techniques on how to manifest the Aeon."

"Thank you," said Wren, sighing. "I'm sorry to bother you with this whole thing, but yeah. It was about time we started taking this seriously. To think all I wanted to do was make a movie to try and preserve a little of Spira's history, but all of this…"

She shook her head in defeat.

"If you aren't too worn out, would you like to start tonight?" asked Yuna, tilting her head. "We could wait until morning, but… you said you only woke up some hours ago, and I really don't think I'll be getting any sleep, with everything that's going on."

"Are you sure? I would really hope that a few hours wouldn't make that much of a difference. Even Mobius has to sleep sometime," said Wren, though she was eager to get started and do something with her stress as quickly as possible.

Yuna nodded. "There are a lot of Pyreflies at the cove nearby, like always. It's a good place to practice, and it's quiet. Just let me get dressed again and you can come with me."

Twill touched her arm gently, stroking their hand over her elbow to get her attention. "I think I'll head back to the ship to let Chia know what's happening. She said she was content to stay in the cabins and watch over the ship, but I'd feel better if I kept her updated."

Wren murmured parting words to Twill, and while Merris insisted that he go back with Twill to ensure their safety on the way back, Tana stayed behind to offer moral support through the whole thing.

The two of them followed Yuna back down the hill from which she had appeared, to the lagoon of which Twill spoke.

The water was clear, and indeed smelled of salt, but more notable were the pyreflies that danced on its surface. There were not as many as the dense mist on the Moonflow, but their presence here made Wren feel somewhat melancholy. The pyreflies were naturally attracted to water as part of their fluid nature, but the implications of their appearance in the first place… Wren had had enough of the depressing thoughts popping into her head lately.

"We can practice a little here," said Yuna, nodding to them. "It's not completely necessary for a summoner to learn to manipulate pyreflies, since I doubt you'll need to perform any of the other duties of a summoner, but… Your situation is a little unique. Since you carry some within you already, it may help you to learn a little more about them."

Wren stood with her staff at the water's edge, looking back and forth at the area before them. She glanced back at Tana, who had found a seat on a bolder sticking out of the sand. Then she turned back to Yuna. "...What should I do, then?"

Yuna paused to think, folding her arms carefully. "Let me think… I'm sorry, I'm not much of a teacher. This is kind of a first for me too."

"Let's start by thinking about it this way. Pyreflies represent the souls of the dead. They're what every living thing becomes, when we depart. When a sending is performed, you're guiding them back to the Farplane, where they can find peace."

"It's not for everyone," snorted Tana, shrugging. At least she could joke about it, guessed Wren.

"So… you just want me to move them?" asked Wren, blinking.

"Right. It will be easier if you use your staff to channel them, but basically you need to connect with them. Empathize with them, and guide them. You don't have to perform a sending, just try to move them," said Yuna.

Wren looked back out at the water, then stepped forward, feeling the edge of the waves tickle her feet. She took a deep breath, then tried to call the pyreflies towards her, making a motion with her staff as if stirring a pot, with her at the center.

As if invisible ripples formed around her, they came, swirling around the spiritual whirlpool she had created. She opened her eyes, surprised, and they dispersed.

Yuna looked surprised herself, and even Tana had gotten to her feet on top of the rock, but Wren wasn't paying attention to them now. She looked down at her hands gripping her staff, thinking, then started again. She took her shoes off, then stepped a little deeper into the water, to her mid calves.

The motion started again, with her throwing more of her body into it as she pulled them, the lights swirling around her. The water's surface became a little more rough and uneven as she moved through it, splashing droplets back up at her that she ignored, simply trying to find her footing in the mud.

It came to her so easily. While she wouldn't call this a dance, there was a clear rhythm to it that just felt natural to her. Shouldn't she have more resistance? She saw Mobius struggle to do this very thing, and he had been trying to perform a sending as well. She was doing no such thing-it almost felt cruel to let the pyreflies linger in the world without sending them off.

She stopped, and let them go back to bobbing aimlessly above the water.

"I… I guess I have that part down," she said, wringing her hands. A nervous laugh escaped her lips, delight at having gained a small understanding of her abilities.

"It seems so," said Yuna, who was helping Tana keep her balance as she lowered herself back down into a sitting position. "I wonder… if it's because of your gift that it's so easy. Maybe I won't have as much to teach you as you think."

Wren slowly sludged back out of the water, looking a little sheepish as she stood beside the other girls. "I don't know about that. I think summoning and sending are a little different, right? Twill can perform a sending, but was never trained as a summoner, because they used to be a guard in Guadosalam."

"Really?" she asked, humming. "Well, there you go. Yes, it is different, but you seem to have a lot of natural ability. You just need to learn how to tap into that. Do you want to try to summon now? It could take a lot out of you…"

Wren would admit, she did feel a little weary still from communing with Amalthea in Djose, but she knew this was something she had to try. At least once. If it proved too difficult, she would try again once she was better rested.

"I'll try," she said, nodding. "Just tell me what to do."

"I wish I could just show you," sighed Yuna. "But you know that I'm no longer a summoner. And even if I did possess an Aeon, I don't think I would like to call them so lightly. I'll try to guide you as best as I can, though."

Wren nodded, then stood back from the other two to prepare.

"That's good, get a good stance. Balance yourself first," praised Yuna, nodding. "Then when you're ready, reach out to the soul of your Aeon, accept them. Ask them to come forth."

Wren held the length of her staff tenderly, closing her eyes and pressing it to her forehead while she focused. She tried doing that, focusing only on Amalthea. Whether or not she was reaching her was another thing. She didn't feel any response, but perhaps that was how it was supposed to be?

She took another deep breath, then tried to call Amalthea, feeling something rise in her chest.

But nothing happened.

She stood there for a moment, frowning. "Let me try again-I know I can do this, she definitely gave me permission to summon her, but…"

This time, she focused on their meeting, and the conversations they had in her dreams. Focusing on this, on their connection, she tried again to call her forth.

This time, a vague image did appear.

A flickering blue silhouette appeared, never quite taking a solid form, as if blue flames flickered around an empty space where she should have been. They were so sparce, however, that it was hard to even grasp what shape the Aeon was taking. It appeared human, from what Wren could see.

However, the image was difficult to keep up, and as quickly as it appeared it was gone again in a flash.

She felt tired, her feet moving unsteadily for a moment as her vision spun. She was definitely going to have to call it a night.

"Don't push yourself too hard," said Tana, suddenly at her side to help her. "You look awful."

"She's right," said Yuna, frowning. "...About not pushing yourself, not the second thing. You need to be careful not to exhaust yourself, or you could get hurt. We can try again… Or, you can keep practicing on your own."

Wren nodded, lowering her staff as she leaned slightly on Tana, whose expression looked decidedly worried. She decided not to mention that the bruises from the tumble she took on the way to Bevelle had begun to ache again, even though they were faint now.

"Wren will be alright as long as she rests," said Yuna, reassuring her. "If she only just received her blessing, it will take a little time to recover fully, but she'll recover."

"I knew it wouldn't be that easy, but I feel drained," admitted Wren, laughing softly. "We should probably rest for the night."

"Let's get to the village," said Tana, making a motion to walk. "We'll stay there until tomorrow."

Wren and Yuna agreed to try again the following day, if Wren felt well enough.

As Wren slept in a bed in Besaid's inn, she had strange dreams of a figure that never fully took shape, whose face she never saw. Amalthea didn't speak to her, but she felt her presence anyway. She knew Amalthea would be as impatient as she was for her to learn how to summon her Aeon.

* * *

The next day, Wren felt energetic and ready to try again. After breakfast, Twill and Merris returned to watch her practice as well.

She felt a little embarrassed, with even more eyes on her this time, but after several attempts she was no closer to creating a solid image. Something just wasn't clicking with her.

Yuna placed a hand on her chin. "The only advice I can give is that an Aeon is created based on connections. It's… the basis of the Final Summoning, after all. I learned by forming strong bonds with the Fayth that granted me their power, but I don't know how to teach that to you. I can tell you're following my advice already."

Wren seated herself in the sand, sighing as she picked up fistfuls of sand and let it slip wistfully between her fingers. "I am… I can almost feel it. I don't know what I'm doing wrong."

"I'm sure you just need practice. You said you didn't expect to learn in one night, right?" offered Yuna. "But I know you're in a hurry, too… Maybe try to discuss it with the Fayth? What did you say her name was? Amalthea?"

She nodded her head. "Yeah… And you're right, I am in a hurry. I need to catch up to Mobius, with or without an Aeon. I just wish I had more time."

"You're leaving soon?"

"We have to start moving soon," said Twill, nodding solemnly. "We at least have to make it to Zanarkand before him. The last temple, and the farthest from civilization. I don't doubt that will be his last stop."

A frown crossed Yuna's face at the thought of him setting foot there, even if it was where everything began, for Sin. It was… wrong. "There's also Remiem, near the Calm Lands. There used to be Fayth there as well, but the temple still stands, even though it was abandoned long ago."

"Remiem?" asked Wren, looking up.

"I think it must have been forgotten in some chaos, since the Calm Lands are where summoners battled against Sin, traditionally," she said. "It's a little bit out of the way, but with both a ship and the chocobos, you should be able to find it if the path is still there. Mobius may not know about it."

Wren nodded. "Yeah. Maybe. But… he did used to be a record keeper in Bevelle. Who knows what was on all the spheres brought in by the hunters? If we stop in Zanarkand first, we have a higher chance of getting there before him. After that… then we'll try to find the last temple."

"Oh, good point," said Merris. "We should let Chia know anyway. I don't know what all she needs to do to upkeep the ship, but I bet we'll need some supplies if we're making an extra trip."

Yuna's eyes briefly lit up as she thought of something, looking up. "I can't believe I almost forgot- If you have to visit the inner parts of each temple, you'll have to enter the dome. It was actually sealed off a few years ago, so you'll need to find some way to get inside, but the deepest part of the temple is where it connects to the Farplane, not the Fayth stone."

"And don't take anything you don't want to lose with you," she said, frowning. "The last time I was there, a big family of monkeys had taken over the temple. It's been some time since then, so it can only have gotten worse."

Wren looked surprised at that, letting out a small, nervous laugh. "Monkeys?"

Yuna nodded, completely serious. "I mean it, you'd better watch your pockets. Though, with the dome closed, I doubt there will be any left beyond the dome. The man who sealed it off wouldn't be so cruel as to trap them inside. Be careful, though."

Feeling somewhat unsatisfied, Wren found herself saying goodbye again. She wished she wasn't in such a hurry, but now there was even more on her plate than she expected. It was probably for the best that she started knocking some items off her list. Even if she was unsure how she would have time to practice summoning, in the meantime.

"I'll keep in touch this time, I promise," said Wren, getting to her feet.

"Come visit as soon as you can," said Yuna. "I want to make sure you're alright. Once things are organized enough here for me to leave, if I don't hear from you… I'll come after Mobius myself."

"Hey, have a little more faith in us than that," teased Merris. "We're all going to do what we can."

"Oh, I know," said Yuna, smiling in spite of herself. "But even so… I'll keep worrying about all of you until I know everything is alright. Believe me, I want all of you to succeed."

It was better than what could happen, if things went badly. At least Yuna was giving them their chance, without rushing off without thinking, at least she had more restraint than Wren would, in her position.

If it was Wren, she would have been halfway to Zanarkand before anyone even finished explaining the situation to her.

At least, that's how she felt about it now.


	28. Remedial

Chia slowly spun around in the cockpit of the Hyacinth while she thought about everything that had been relayed to her.

The sun was rising higher in the sky as it neared midday. When everyone returned to tell her the news the night before, she had already turned in, and it was decided that it was for the best. The original plan had been to spend the night in Besaid anyway, so it only made sense. The best course of action would be to get some rest before heading to their next destination.

Chia finally stopped turning, then scuttled back around so that she was facing them once again. She drummed her fingers on the armrest of her seat. "Okay, so I have no idea what the terrain is like in Zanarkand. I'm not sure how close I'll be able to take you to the temple there. I've heard a lot of it is open sea, but it's right past the mountains, right?"

"What I've seen in my dreams is an island in the middle of the sea… but I don't know anything about what the real Zanarkand is like," admitted Wren. "The only people who would know that are the summoners who made it to the end of the pilgrimage. I guess Lady Yuna would know."

Chia made a face at that, and Wren guessed that her reaction was because she didn't trust the information based on a dream. She could hardly fault her for that. "As long as it's better than Djose, where I can't get into the town because it's carved out of the cliffs, I should be able to get you pretty close. We'll see when we get there."

The trip from one side of the world to the other would take a couple of days, but it was suggested that the company stop in the Calm Lands, to investigate this missing temple. This turned out to be a much more agreeable rest stop than Zanarkand, because apparently Chia knew exactly where it was rumored to be.

"I've heard from the people at the Gold Saucer that there's some kind of holy site nearby in the mountains, but no one knows where exactly," she said, pointing out the window as they approached. "There's lots of open space here, so I bring the ship over on test flights a lot."

"Are you sure you don't bring it over here so you can go to the park?" asked Merris, ribbing her.

"Uhh, sure, I do that too," she said, snorting. "The entire park is built around the old Travel Agency. There's usually no rooms open because a lot of people from outside Bevelle stay there when they visit, but it's a great place to refuel."

"Anyway, there's a few people, the old owners from when the Gold Saucer was still two separate businesses, who know a thing or two about it. We might be able to find it from the air, and then you guys can get there on chocobo-back," she added.

The Hyacinth landed outside of the fairgrounds, and Chia was quick to shoo everyone from the ship, telling them to meet up later (much later) and to wait around at the Travel Agency if she wasn't there when they got back. This did little to reassure them, but they parted ways anyway, Chia running off to enjoy the festivities, and them finding themselves in the company of four chocobos once again.

They did ask questions of the fair's staff, trying to find any information they could, but there were few answers to be given. It really wouldn't be much of a secret temple if just anyone knew about it.

"I'll have to rely on my senses," said Wren, sighing. "We know it will be towards the mountains, but beyond that… I wish Yuna could have given me more clear directions."

"I'll try to help a little," said Twill. "If there is an entrance to the Farplane at this temple as well, I'll find it."

Together, they made their way through difficult terrain, circling the mountains that towered over the fairgrounds, then following their senses to the temple. It was well hidden by rocky terrain and many layers of ancient foliage growing around it's spiraling foundation. The vines covered the path and the outside of the temple, which was crumbling, but it shared the same basic structure of the familiar temples closer to civilization.

Wren felt nervous, approaching the temple. Its many spires towered over the group like ornately-dressed stone figures. Its aura imposed a great deal of pressure on her, to the point that it was almost suffocating as she reached its entrance.

"I'm not ready for this," she said, shaking her head.

"What do you mean? We're already here," said Merris. "We can't just turn back."

"I know, it's just… if I'm getting a bad vibe from this place, Zanarkand is going to be a million times worse," she said, rubbing her cheek. They were climbing the long ramp from the foundation to the great doors of the temple, and she was feeling jittery. "But maybe it's just that this place feels empty. No one has been here in years even though it's right outside a popular attraction during the off season for blitzball."

"It's alright," said Tana, patting her shoulder just a little. "Once we get out of here, if we get to Zanarkand, you'll have more of those pyreflies than him. We're going to have everything we need to beat him already."

That did put her fears a little at ease, making her think that her anxiety might have been self-imposed. "That's true… I just hope I'll be ready then."

Unfortunately, the intimidating feeling didn't go away as they stood in the high, arched doorway, and got even worse as the door was pried open, with much more ease than anticipated.

Mobius was already inside.

He was standing in the back of the room, in front of a small door the size of a cupboard, studying the structure as if he himself had not been there for very long. He had been using the soft blue glow of his trident to see, but once the light from outside spilled into the room, he turned to face them.

"There are statues here honoring the high summoners, even though this place has been abandoned for nearly four hundred years. Doesn't that strike you as odd?" he asked.

Wren didn't care about whatever he was saying, readying herself for conflict. She held her staff in front of her, waving it in the grand gesture Yuna had shown her, attempting one more time to call forth her Aeon.

"It's because Bevelle has tried to reestablish this place to the public in the recent past, but ultimately decided it took away too much attention from their capital," he continued. "Apart from that, nature itself seemed to be at odds with the decision. They came here, fixed what they could, installed these statues… They had plans to renovate the outside as well, but you've seen the same thing they saw when they came back to work each day. Every day, the temple was as overgrown as before they cleared away the vines, it happened overnight each time."

"At least, that's what the rumors are, in the circles of Bevelle's higher echelons," he said, smiling softly.

"Why are you talking to me?" asked Wren, narrowing her eyes. "I'm not here to make friends with you. I'm here to collect the pyreflies and stop you from summoning Sin."

Mobius still didn't move, despite the four fully armed people in front of him, each in position and ready to fight.

"I don't need to fight you," he said, shaking his head. "But it seems you've picked up something interesting since the last time we met. Are you trying to summon? Where did you get an Aeon, exactly?"

Wren bit her tongue, her expression fierce as she stood her ground.

"I haven't taken the pyreflies from here yet, in case you were wondering. If you wanted, you could walk right in and take them from me. There is no Cloister of Trials here. Just an empty hole, missing its Fayth." He gestured to the door behind him, as if inviting her in.

"If that's true, why would you let her take them?" asked Tana, waving her sword at him. "How do we know you won't just push her into the Farplane, the second she tries to get to them?"

He turned his eyes to her, composing himself, but only barely. "I already know she can find her way back out. Trying to trap her down there wouldn't hold her, and besides that, it wouldn't benefit either of us. The most it would do is inconvenience you. Right now I need her at her strongest."

Wren started to ask what he meant, but he stepped forward before she could speak.

"You lack guidance," said Mobius, focusing on Wren alone once more. "I can teach you how to summon your Aeon."

She stared at him, dumbfounded, her mouth pressed into a doubtful line. "What do you mean, 'you can teach me?' Why should I listen to you?"

"As I said, I don't need to fight you," he said, shaking his head, his long, dark hair bobbing somehow gracefully with the motion. "And you need to learn, don't you? I am a former summoner of Bevelle; I learned from trained masters how to make use of an Aeon myself. There are no teachers left, so I will show you. Perhaps then you can one day pass on your skills as well."

The implication that she would even need to teach others put a tremendous weight on her chest. He fully expected to succeed. And he expected her to be an accomplice to his crimes when she failed.

"She doesn't need lessons from you ," hissed Tana. "And she won't need to teach anyone. We don't need summoners anymore-all of that is in the past."

"I don't expect you to understand me," said Mobius, lifting his eyes to meet hers. "But Spira has lost its way. Difficult as it may be to believe, the former leader of New Yevon, Trema, once thought that the only way for its people to return to a normal life was to remove all traces of our history. I spent a great deal of time helping him erase it myself."

"But we can't afford that," he continued. "The records are gone, but you can't erase a culture created on a stable cycle. Sin rises, the summoners train to defeat Sin, many lose their nerves or their lives, and then the cycle begins again once a summoner manages to defeat Sin, ending their life despite their success. Except for Yuna. Spira's cycle of death is a constant, and our ephemeral culture was built upon that notion-it can't be allowed to end."

Wren shook her head, her hands trembling. She didn't want to speak to tell him he was wrong. Where could she even start? He should know better than that, without having to be told. How could she teach him that ending lives was a bad thing, if he didn't understand that already?

But she did need a teacher. Badly. Yuna's help had given her a clue, but she felt she wasn't grasping something with her approach.

"...If you want to teach me, you can tell me what you know now," said Wren, almost too softly to hear. "I won't come any closer. But I won't let you leave with the pyreflies either."

Mobius tilted his head towards her again, considering her response to his offer. His eyes looked empty, she realized, and they had ever since she met him. He was in a lot of pain, but that didn't excuse him for what he was doing.

"Consider them a gift," he said, not moving as her friends looked at her incredulously. "If you see the sense in hearing me out, I will let you have them without any trouble."

Wren stayed silent. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, and she turned to look at Twill's expression, hoping to find comfort in their serene gaze.

Twill pursed their lips for a moment, then gave a small nod. "I'm right here with you."

She nodded in return as the others murmured in begrudging agreement, then looked back to Mobius. She showed him her staff, holding it in both hands carefully.

He stepped closer, hesitantly, raising his hands in submission so that the three people behind Wren wouldn't attack him the moment he stood beside her. He extended one hand out to touch the middle stretch of the staff, inspecting it. "This must conduct your magic very well. The crystal reminds me of formations found in Macalania. You had this when we first met, didn't you?"

Wren's lips remained in a tight line, uncomfortable. "It was a gift, from Twill."

"I bet you hardly need it anymore," he commented, glancing only briefly at the Guado as he drew back his hand. "But for summoning… I would definitely recommend having a conduit. Your friend has both good sense and taste."

She didn't want to admit that the rate at which her powers were growing alarmed her. If it was the fault of the pyreflies, if that was what was making her stronger, then where did her own abilities end? If it wasn't for Mobius, she wouldn't need to hone her abilities at all, but she hated wondering what she would be without them.

"For my advice… I suspect everyone's approach is a little bit different. I myself learned from someone with particularly rigid discipline, so his way of instruction is all I really know," said Mobius, thinking, distant.

Wren's mind briefly flickered to the man she had seen in Amalthea's memories, the cruel instructor.

He returned to her again, continuing. "But if permission to use the Aeon has already been granted, you should have no trouble calling its power forth."

As she held the staff upright again, she couldn't help but wince, forced to reflect on how much trouble she was having. "Should I try again?"

Mobius nodded firmly. "Absolutely. My own training was frankly worthless, but the ability to apply what you've learned is more valuable than any advice I could give you."

Desperate to learn, that was all the confirmation Wren needed. She took a step back, breathing in through her mouth, and out through her nose as she started to concentrate.

"Imagine that your Aeon is already here beside you," he instructed, his voice serene as ever. "Feel its presence within you, and allow it to make itself known. Let it take a form at your own pace."

Wren knew she should have ignored his offer, and though his voice made her stomach twist itself in knots, his words incited something in her. She and Amalthea didn't quite see eye to eye on how to handle Mobius, but they were both working together now regardless. It was a partnership that both of them could only benefit from. As she dwelled on these feelings, something was finally taking form.

Just like before, a faint glow started to appear, and it seemed like a draft had been let in from outside that tousled her hair and clothes, chilling her skin. The form was solidifying much more than the last time she tried, and now at last there was a translucent, but discernible figure in front of her.

A woman taller than even Twill stood before her, brandishing dual swords in both hands. Her skin was a dusty cerulean, and her three eyes were all blank, emitting a golden light. Thick navy hair curled wildly around four twisted horns and down her back, and in the absence of being fully formed, it almost seemed to fade into the long-draping dress that wrapped around her frame. Wrapped across her lower back and arms was an intricately-woven scarf nearly twice as long as she was, shimmering like the sea.

Mobius could only gape for a few moments, his eyes haunted with recognition. "Amalthea…! My Amalthea!"

It was the first time Wren had ever heard him raise his voice, a fact that prevented her from celebrating, or doing anything else, to stare in awe at what was happening between them now.

He didn't say anything else as Amalthea's Aeon moved, honing in with hateful eyes on him. His own eyes were filled with a warmth Wren had never seen, even in Amalthea's memories of him. He almost looked proud, but not of himself.

"You did this to me!" spoke Amalthea, her voice crackling like a recording from an ancient sphere. The Aeon's long ears flattened against her head as she stanced herself, both etherial swords drawn. "Don't you dare act like you can feel regret for what you've done!"

Despite her flowing tunic dress, her movements were swift and precise, almost like a dance.

At once, Wren realized what was about to happen. She held out her staff again, waving it wildly through the air as she tried to dismiss the Aeon.

Just as a seemingly supernatural wind caressed Mobius' hair, Wren managed to banish her back within her, falling to the floor with relief when he was still standing.

Mobius hadn't flinched even a little, but all of his muscles seemed to relax at once, and he stepped forward from having his back directly against the wall of the temple.

He walked towards Wren and offered his hand to help her to her feet. "It was only an image, this time. She couldn't have harmed me." He almost seemed to be talking to himself.

Her friends were already standing beside her, and she refused his hand as she stood up on shaky legs, gripping Tana's arm.

"That was good," he said to her, putting his hand back at his side. "I think the only thing holding you back, at this point, is stress. You seemed very tense. If you can overcome that, you should be able to form a complete Aeon."

"You're the reason she's so stressed out!" said Tana, refusing to let go of Wren as she supported her. "If you suddenly feel like being helpful, then get lost."

Mobius took her cue, and started past them in polite cooperation.

Standing in the doorway, casting a mile long shadow towards the group, he paused for only a moment. "As I promised. The Chamber of the Fayth awaits, and I will meet you in Zanarkand to join the souls we've amassed together."

Light from outside filled the room once more as he disappeared.

Wren got her footing, but as she stood on her own she was still trembling. She wasn't prepared for what could have happened, even if Mobius was in no real danger.

"Why are they making me do this?" she asked, permitting herself to place some of the blame on Amalthea as well. "I know what he did to her, but I don't want to be responsible for this. I wish she didn't need me."

She didn't want to say it, but the alternative was still worse. She shouldn't have let him get away, she should have at least allowed her friends to go after him, even if she couldn't attack with only a ghost of an Aeon.

"This is only a difficult decision because taking a life doesn't come naturally," said Twill, softly. "It's not bad to be afraid of it, even in his case. If you could distance yourself enough to take a life without any hesitation at all, you would be just like him. I promise, it's a good thing that you aren't."

"I know," sighed Wren, finally releasing the tension in her shoulders. "But still, next time, I'll have to make up my mind a lot quicker."

She started towards the door, looking outside at the overgrown path leading away from the temple. Mobius was already out of sight, only the four chocobos they'd brought with them and occasionally rustling foliage the only sign of life. She didn't have time to think about that, instead too focused on his parting words.

"All I know is that we're going to get to Zanarkand before him. If he doesn't need me for the summoning, then we'll have to wait for him to get there, to stop him," she said, frowning.

"We have to find Chia," she said, looking back at them with a weary expression. "After I come back with the pyreflies, we have to refuel and get to Zanarkand as quickly as possible. "

There was no other choice.


	29. Poison from Standing Water

After encountering Mobius in Remiem, it was a race to Zanarkand.

Without the Hyacinth, Mobius would have to scale the mountain range that protected the final temple on foot. Maybe the mountain would kill him first, before he reached Zanarkand and anyone had to decide what to do about him.

"I don't really wish that," said Wren, holding her legs to her chest while she thought.

The trip in the airship was nowhere near as long or difficult as braving Mt. Gagazet. It was warm, with plenty of food and water. There was also no fear of finding the remains of summoners and guardians who didn't make it and had been left behind, which took a little weight off of Wren's shoulders. But still, it took time.

When they finally arrived in Zanarkand's skies, most of her time was spent looking down at the ground below them. She watched the waves and the rocks as they passed. And the city: a silent, broken city, decimated by forces that would deny their involvement and blame it on an unrelated third party until the original culprits died out and were forgotten. She had seen pieces of this place in her dreams, but in her dreams, it was still alive. The air was full of pyreflies, thankfully nothing at all like the kind she was looking for. It was sobering, but pretty.

It was dawn when they arrived. Chia had Tana to talk to in the cockpit, and Tana was a fast learner. She'd been able to relieve Chia more than once to keep them in the air without having to find a place to stop for the night in the mountains, so it was Tana who was there when Wren went to find a little company, the rest of the group asleep in the cabins.

She hovered behind Tana in the captain's seat, watching the horizon as Zanarkand's temple got closer and closer.

"What are you doing awake?" asked Tana, looking up at Wren when she felt her hand on the back of the chair.

"I've been restless," Wren said, laughing quietly. "I slept a bit, but I guess I woke up too early. And I don't think I'll feel like sleeping once we land."

"I know what you mean," said Tana. "It's a good thing it's my turn to fly, or I'd be pacing in the back, driving everyone else crazy. Don't worry about me though, I made sure to get plenty of sleep before it was time for Chia to turn in."

Wren watched as the temple loomed ever closer, like a sluggish turtle with its ancient dome that protected the silent citadel. It felt as if the ship were standing perfectly still, while the landscape itself crawled forward to meet them. She didn't like it one bit, but at last they were nearly at their destination.

"Hey," said Tana, looking up again. "This isn't the end, you know? None of us want to see you beat yourself up over this whole thing."

Wren believed her, but she couldn't snap herself out of feeling an impending sense of doom hanging over all of them, over all of Spira. It had been longer than she cared to admit since she'd last touched her recording equipment for her movie, or even the notes she'd taken when she had not been allowed to film.

"That means a lot," she said. "I'm still terrified, but I need to keep telling myself that you're all in the same sinking ship with me."

"Don't say 'sinking ship,'" said Tana, turning back to the ship's console.

Wren smiled at that just a little. "I think it probably doesn't help that I've been sleeping a lot lately, but not very restfully. You guys are doing a lot to help me stay grounded."

Tana sighed, a sound of contentment that warmed Wren's heart. "We care about you. Hell, you saved my life once already. This is nothing."

"Friendship isn't nothing!" she protested, more flustered than upset. "If I had to do this alone, I never could have made it this far."

"Maybe, but I wouldn't even be here without you and Merris," she said, relenting just a little. "At the very least, we never would have made it out of the Farplane."

"Oh yeah," murmured Wren, hesitating for just a second. "You can thank Amalthea for that, actually."

It had been a while since she had thought about Amalthea's help in the Farplane. A lot had happened since then, and between Amalthea and Mobius, she had been much more focused on the fact that Mobius had tried to have Tana killed. That was much more of a concern to her, though she wasn't ungrateful to Amalthea.

Tana gave a thoughtful noise in response, looking out at the rolling horizon under the rose gold morning sun.

It was almost time.

The temple was so close, Tana changed the controls so that the Hyacinth was circling the skies above Zanarkand before she turned to look at Wren.

"I need Chia to land this thing," said Tana, finally. "But we shouldn't wake the others if we can help it."

"I'll get her," said Wren, turning her back to return to the cabins.

The interior of the ship reminded her a bit of a wooden hut, with its horizontal rows of planks surrounding everything. The floors, the walls, the ceilings… all wooden. The walls were finished differently from the wood above and below her, being rougher, but not enough to splinter, compared to the floors, which were packed together tightly with some kind of resin. She thought Mobius might have leaned into the idea of it being like a ship on the sea a little too far, but didn't know enough about how an airship could possibly function to make any judgements. At the very least, the floor was decorated with several rugs of varying design, in blues and purples, hues and patterns that also reminded her of flowers. The designs looked distinctly like they had come from Besaid, which spoke volumes of the quality, but other than light furnishings in the cabin area, there was little to keep it feeling like she was being shipped inside a crate. Or like she'd set foot back on one of the island ferries.

There were three cabins, connected by a common area, and each one had two beds in it. The ship was not very large, so the arrangement was a tight one, but it had only been designed with personal travel in mind.

Maybe she really was tired, she realized as she entered the room where Chia slept, along with Tana's empty cot. The two had switched arrangements around when they realized they were going to be switching off, putting Wren and Merris in one room (since he was a heavier sleeper), and Twill in their own room.

She stood beside Chia and nudged her shoulder gently, calling her name.

Chia was lying on her side with her pillow half under her arm, and her whole face scrunched up when Wren tried to wake her. She squirmed, shoving Wren's hand away, before finally pushing herself into a sitting position.

"What is it?" she complained, but she was too sleepy for her words to have any severity.

"Tana says she's ready to land," answered Wren, smiling apologetically.

Chia yawned loudly, then sat up more properly, swinging her legs over the side of the cot. "Give me a minute to wake up."

Wren nodded, then went back out into the common area to leave her to her own devices for a few minutes.

She heard someone else starting to stir as she exited the room. The noise came from her left, and shortly after that, Twill brushed aside the heavy cloth covering the doorway to block any light that might fall from the dome above the common area, letting in just enough light from the upper deck to see.

"Good morning," they said, wandering past Wren.

They walked slowly through the hall, pausing for a moment to look out the porthole to the outside, before making their way to where they could stand above the deck.

"I thought you had motion sickness?" asked Wren, following them none too stealthily.

Twill shook their head, motioning with their hand for her to go ahead of them.

Wren obliged them, sticking her head warily out above the deck at first before fully emerging from the ship, as if afraid she might blow away in the wind.

"We probably shouldn't be up here while we're landing," admitted Twill, following behind her to the side of the ship to look down at the sea below them. "But I trust Chia enough to let us land safely."

Wren gave a hum of agreement as the two of them stood there in the morning sun, bathed in light that was half of gold, and half of a creamy shadow. She had to avert her eyes from the shimmer against the ocean waves as they drew ever nearer. The ship had begun to descend; Chia must have gotten back to Tana.

It was quite a sight. The sun that seemed to chase them across Spira was now rising high over the mountains on one side of the ship as they floated down gently to a large, open area outside of the temple. Wren braced herself as they touched down. It wasn't an abnormally rough landing, but it was the first time she had been above deck for it, and as she stumbled, she decided it was probably also going to be her last time above deck during a landing.

Still, the golden light that tried its best to warm the chilly air left her at peace. She found that even the mountains that should almost feel like a wall, keeping her apart from the rest of civilization, brought her a sense of calm that made her knees feel a little less weak.

She returned below deck to meet the others in the common area.

After some deliberation, and after some time spent waking Merris, who had slept through the whole thing, they decided to set up a camp.

Most of their time would be spent inside the ship, but with Mobius somewhere behind them, they would need to stay there to meet him. That meant that someone was going to have to procure provisions for them while Wren stayed there, in Zanarkand.

Food, clean water, firewood… Wren wondered how long of a trip it really was over the Ronsos' Mountain, but she thought her reunion with Mobius couldn't take long enough.

A spit was built, so that they could do some crude cooking. Wren was very glad she'd brought a few cooking utensils with her, even though they'd been fortunate to only have to use them a few times on their journey. In Zanarkand, there was no one else. No inns with hot meals, or worried neighbors, or leftovers from big gatherings… But there was the five of them, and between them they had enough skill to survive.

Yuna had been right about the monkeys, too. If it wasn't tied down, they would steal it. The only thing that was safe from their hands was the firepit and anything on it. If they could help it, everything was stored inside the ship, but Chia had threatened not to return from a provisions run, if she found any of the monkeys in the ship's tiny cargo hold.

After two nights in Zanarkand, Wren's dreams were more vivid than ever. Amalthea was still there, still furious, still anguished at her situation, but Wren felt like something was calling her. She had felt it before, in Djose, from underneath Mobius' intricately carved home. There was no branching hallway of far too many Fayth stones in Zanarkand, as far as Wren was aware-Mobius had achieved something unique in his endeavor to provide the people with a way to survive the destruction he was going to bring.

There was, however, the dome.

On the third day, Wren felt she had to get closer. Mobius would be a long time coming, and she needed to see what was waiting inside.

Tana would stay behind to mind the camp, while Twill had insisted that they go along with her to investigate. Wren was not one to turn down company, especially with the strange feelings she had about this place. She was happy to have Merris along too, and so they set off, leaving Chia and Tana to their own devices.

The inside of the fortress built outside of the temple was longer than the actual distance suggested, for it wound along the inner wall in a great, crumbling spiral. The road was treacherous because of its agee, and every so often, Wren imagined she saw something flickering in the corner of her eye.

Once or twice, she thought she could make out shapes in these afterimages: a lone woman, or a vision of three men that disappeared the instant when her eyes focused on them. A mother and child.

"These are the result of impressions left on the pyreflies," said Twill, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah," she said, though she felt unnerved.

It was the same as any sphere, replaying an image on a watery surface. There were far more pyreflies here in the air than anywhere she had been before, besides the Farplane. The air was different here. The pyreflies here were a torrent of emotions and private thoughts. A testament to memories shared between the summoners' parties that made it this far.

Wren knew that all of the shadows belonged to those who had by now died long ago. To see them so vulnerable was humbling, and deeply intimate. What would she leave behind? She hoped she wasn't marching to her death, so with any luck, she would outlive her own sorrows.

"I'd feel better if some of them didn't talk," said Merris, grimacing.

Wren agreed, but it was hard to tune them out when they were so sincere and heartfelt. Some of them were pleas to their loved ones, begging them to turn back after spending so many nights together on their perilous journeys. It was… hard to hear.

How had this place been turned into a tourist trap, for that short time Wren could recall hearing about it during the sphere hunting boom?

As the sky turned a golden color that ushered in the late afternoon, they arrived at the dome. The metal frame covered the entire structure, and there was no obvious way to open it.

Merris pointed to a collapsed part of rubble at the dome's base. "Looks like this was done with explosives. The dome was probably here before, but… not like this."

"We're not going to get in without destroying part of the ruins," murmured Twill, placing a hand on their chin while they thought.

Wren sighed heavily. "I still have to get inside."

"We're going to need more explosives to fix this," said Merris, rubbing his neck.

"Chia can go," suggested Twill. "But I doubt anyone would sell anything like that to someone so young."

"They'll sell it to Tana," said Wren. "It doesn't matter how we do it. Reverence for a monument won't stop Mobius, so it can't stop me either."

Twill eyed her for a moment, then nodded.

"I worked a little with explosives when the Machine Faction was constructing Djose," volunteered Merris. "It was really controlled and all I actually did was follow instructions while someone else directed us, but I can probably do it."

"Chia isn't going to like this," chuckled Twill.

The trip back to camp wasn't anywhere near as bad as the way there had been. A lot of the rubble wasn't climbable, but the way down was quick and easy. They used this to their advantage, Merris steady and confident, Twill calculated, and Wren feeling very clumsy between the two of them. Watching Twill, she was convinced that the only thing stopping them from clearing the jump up the rubble altogether had been Merris' and her presence.

They told Tana and Chia their plan.

"You want me to transport explosives in my ship?" asked Chia, gaping.

"It will be easier to transport the components separately," said Tana, shaking her head. "Trust me, we have lots of this stuff on hand in Djose for clearing through solid rock. You'll hardly even know it's there."

Chia held her head in one hand, shaking her head at the same time. "You guys are going to get me killed, I just know it. Make a list of any other supplies we need for me, cause this isn't going to be that short of a trip. Just keep in mind I can only carry so much. This isn't exactly a cargo ship."

They worked out any supplies they were going to need, using Wren's notepad to take it all down. Among the things Merris had listed, Wren was surprised to see that he'd asked for them to bring back a blitzball.

"We're going to need something to do out here," he said, matter-of-factly. "Blitzball is the best way to relieve stress."

"Do you play?" asked Twill, blinking.

He laughed, and Wren saw Tana smile from the corner of her eye. "Not officially, no, but I used to think I'd make a team one day. Actually, that was the reason I was in Luca when we met, in the first place. Ran out of gil a little faster than I thought though, and you already know the rest."

She would certainly keep that in mind.

"That probably would take some edge off for us," she added, nodding in agreement. "We've got a lot of time to kill."

The following morning, Chia and Tana made for Djose with their shopping list in hand. The others built a crude shelter and hunkered down for a long waiting period.

Again, Wren hoped that what she was waiting for would never come.


	30. An Empty Room

In the time that the other two had gone, Wren was still practicing her summoning skills.

She was sure she was close, after her last attempt in Remiem.

Of course, it was thanks to her lack of control over her power that had stopped Amalthea from doing any serious damage to Mobius. This partnership might not work if she couldn't give instruction to her Aeon, but maybe it was just that she lacked the same conviction as her partner. It was difficult for her to decide.

Twill provided some assistance, and a great deal of comfort. Their soothing presence made her feel like she could open up easily - and she was already the type to be very honest when she was upset.

It did take time. A full day and a half passed before the airship returned with supplies, both to live off of and for their new scheme to get inside the collapsed dome of Zanarkand's temple. It was a happy reunion when the ship showed up at noon, everyone sitting around the fire before they set out to finish what they started.

The charges were set, and everyone vacated the area as Merris was about to set it off. As soon as the bomb was triggered, he booked it down the rubble to the other side of the citadel. The explosion was only going to be enough to give them a means to enter the dome, but a controlled explosion was still an explosion.

Wren covered her eyes and ears, ducking down behind the main entrance wall. As Merris rounded the corner, the blast came, sending a torrent of fiery debris into the sky. Only Twill watched, shielding their face with a heavy sleeve to check its progress.

The metal dome seemed largely unaffected, but the wall around it crumbled to dust as the flames erupted. With a groan, it fell at an angle so that it was no longer level with the ground, just big enough to pass through.

Twill nudged Wren's back with a gentle hand. "We should put the rest of the fire out. The dust will burn out soon enough, but we should get moving."

Wren leaned on the wall to stand up, then reached for her staff. She approached the slowly burning blaze with Twill, staves extended. A cascade of water descended onto the flames in a pressurized blast, extinguishing the remaining flames that licked vainly at the dusty stone.

The passage was structurally questionable, but it would do. They ducked through the entrance they'd made one by one, giving them access to the temple inside.

"I'll stay here to watch the entrance," said Twill, placing a hand on the corner of the dome. "Don't take too long."

They took a seat near the rubble and waited.

Once inside, the intense atmosphere seemed to become even more heavy on their consciousnesses. The inner sanctum of the dome was grand, but in shambles. Collapsed columns lay everywhere. There was no sign of any litter, as there was outside the dome, but some of the stones were disturbed in such a way that indicated the brief window of tourism as the culprit.

Wren briefly lamented how easily Spira's history was forgotten in favor of new amusements. It was a shame, but it was a good sign that Spira was able to march on without its past hanging over it. Once this blew over, time forget all about Sin and the miserable death march it spawned forever.

They came to a lift, after passing through several more rooms, that took them to what appeared to be the end of the line.

When they stepped off of the lift, in the center of the room was a Fayth stone. Its surface was cloudy and cracked beyond any chance of recognizing its contents. As Wren got closer, she could feel that there was nothing inside. There hadn't been in a long time.

"Is this the Final Aeon?" asked Merris, wrinkling his nose.

"No, remember what that Fayth showed us?" asked Tana, as Wren knelt down beside the stone. "They probably used this to hold an Aeon once, but… We know what the Final Aeon really is."

Merris nodded quietly, looking down at Wren.

She stood up after a moment, pushing herself up with her staff. "Sorry, this place is weird. I expected to find another hole to the Farplane here, but I don't think anyone's been here in a long time."

It almost looked like it had simply fallen this way over a thousand years ago, and had been undisturbed since, but Wren had seen that this wasn't the case, if she didn't already know better.

"Let's keep moving," she said. "I feel something up ahead. That's probably where the pyreflies are."

The stone path continued, and so did they. It was a short distance into the next room, but once they crossed the ordinary looking doorway, they were standing in a room unlike anywhere they'd ever been before.

They stepped out of the hall and into the starlight.

"We're still underground, right?" asked Wren.

The sky, or what appeared to be the sky, stretched out around them in all directions. The ground they stood on appeared to be a floating layer of stone, the end of the world just past the edge of the crumbling stone structures that surrounded the platform's edge. Not much time had passed, but this sky looked like it was the middle of the night, a full moon hanging in its very center like a gentle reminder.

"Maybe this place is connected to the Farplane, somehow," offered Tana. "I've never seen the night sky there before, though."

"Maybe you're right," said Wren. There was nothing beneath the floor but a looming promise of a sunrise that might never come. "I think it's some kind of illusion, but it sure feels like the Farplane here to me."

Wren looked to her left and saw a short flight of stairs leading down off the platform. She crawled closer, then sat on the edge of the stairs for balance as she stuck her leg out to try and meet the ground beneath the stairs. Past the last step, her sandals completely disappeared, as if disappearing behind a veil. The comparison didn't stop her from yelping in surprise and drawing back up the stairs as quickly as she could.

"There's something down there," she said, still sitting on the floor in a position that looked like she'd fallen over backwards instead of crawling that way on purpose.

She leaned forward with her hand this time. There was no sensation at all as her fingertips disappeared, but they seemed to vanish entirely.

Merris made a noise of discovery, and Wren and Tana both turned to see him standing on a collapsed piece of rubble, covered with moss and crumbling with age.

"Get down here!" said Tana, whispering harshly as if that were safer than yelling. "You're going to fall!"

Instead of heeding Tana's warning, he reached out with both palms, putting his full weight behind his hands as he leaned against something solid, but invisible. "There's no way I could fall."

There was a wall to this room after all, but that realization hadn't stopped Tana from gasping in anticipation and dread as she watched him.

Tana rolled her eyes. "Don't scare me like that. How old are you, six?"

He grinned, then jumped down from the rocks to land beside her.

Newly inspired, Wren stood up, then stuck her foot out again, stepping purposefully off the platform.

As she resurfaced on the other side of the invisible doorway, the new room she found herself in looked exactly the same, but Tana and Merris were nowhere to be seen. At the exact same time as she crossed into the room, she heard the two of them give a surprised shout in unison, and she immediately turned back to climb the stairs, appearing suddenly in front of them again.

Tana and Merris' eyes had gone wide with shock, but as soon as she returned they both relaxed with a nervous laugh.

"I guess I should have said something first," she said apologetically.

Merris huffed and puffed out his cheeks in indignation. "I don't like this place."

Wren laughed quietly. "Too bad it looks like there's still more of this place to explore. I'm pretty sure we're close, though."

She poked around the first room for a few moments, then decided to follow the doorway she'd gone through once already. When she appeared in the nearly identical room, it seemed like she had been transported to the opposite side of the first one, but she could tell she was moving closer to the source of the strange feeling she had.

Scanning the other doorways, she selected the one to her left, where the pull felt the strongest. Before she went down the second steps, she paused. She was following a trail, but it had suddenly changed.

"I think someone is already here," she said, lowering her voice.

She shook her hands out nervously. How could someone have gotten to the pyreflies before them? The dome was sealed before they all got there, and no one could have passed them without being noticed.

"That's impossible," said Tana, shaking her head. "This place has been sealed up for a few years now, going by what Yuna said."

"I know," mumbled Wren, frowning. Her mind was already conjuring up the image of Mobius, already waiting for them down below. There was no way he could be here now, but it was a scary idea.

She held her staff close to her chest as she crossed the illusory doorway.

In the middle of the room was a lean figure seated on top of a fallen bit of rock silently. They turned when they heard Wren's footsteps, not helping her sense of alarm, but at least this person was clearly not Mobius.

The person that turned to look at them when they entered the room was dressed in a plain cloth tunic, with a darker piece of fabric slung around their shoulders like a cloak. They were as unnaturally pale as the silver moonlight that fell across the entire room, to the point that Wren thought they may be ill. There were pyreflies - normal ones - floating around their equally surprised figure and illuminating their skin like light shining through a prism. Their white hair flowed down their back freely, and as Wren approached, they squinted their nearly colorless eyes.

When the stranger spoke, it was with a voice that was neither high nor low, and Wren couldn't explain why their voice didn't quite match what she expected.

"What are you doing here?" asked the stranger. "I thought the temple's entrance was sealed."

"That's our line, don't you think?" asked Tana. Her attitude had shifted into diplomacy mode. The question wasn't particularly friendly, but the way she stood and the way she asked it made it seem like it was. "The dome was closed when we got here. How did you get in here?"

They blinked long eyelashes at them, before considering this. "I was… already here. This is where I've been the whole time."

"What?" asked Wren. "Like since the dome closed? Have you been trapped in here?"

There was no way a person could survive like that.

They shook their head. "Not trapped… I haven't been trying to leave. I think the door was closed when I got here."

"This is weird, right?" asked Merris, quietly leaning away from the stranger, who seemed unfazed.

Wren nodded. "The feeling I've been following is coming from them… I've never felt that coming from a person before."

She didn't know. Maybe they were unsent?

Tana clicked her tongue, turning back to the strange looking person. "I'm Tana, from Djose, and these are Merris and Wren, my brother and my traveling companion."

The figure thought for a moment, then nodded, as if they had just made up their mind about something. They pointed to the light in the sky above them slowly. "You can call me Yue."

Yue looked between them, then tilted their head. "Still… what are you doing here? Are you a summoner's party? There is no Fayth here, and I cannot create the Final Aeon for you, I'm afraid."

Their words sent a chill through Wren's spine. "Nothing like that. Spira help us, if we were. We're just…"

She realized she didn't know what to call their little group, at this point. These people were no longer just her bodyguards.

"We're travelers, mostly," said Tana, picking it back up. "Right now we have two others outside, waiting for us to return. So if we're finished here, we should probably head back."

Tana looked questioningly at Wren, who murmured a small noise of confirmation. If what she came for wasn't here, she would just have to wait it out until Mobius appeared.

"Um, but first… we did come here looking for something," she said, stepping forward. "There are these pyreflies… they look like the ones you normally see except… bigger? And kinda blobby?"

Yue thought for a few moments, watching the softly fluttering lights that hovered in the air around them. "Nothing strange, no… Nothing more unusual than the ones right here."

"Then I think we should go back to the camp," said Tana firmly. "Would you like to come back with us? We have plenty of food and a warm fire. Better than sitting here alone."

Yue stood up from their seat with a nod. "Yes, that would be much better."

Merris made a face when the offer was extended to the strange one, but he stayed silent, even as the pyreflies that clustered around them seemed somehow magnetized to them. The pyreflies drifted lazily towards them, then flitted away when they moved too quickly. It was unnatural, but no one made any comment of it as they moved towards the room's exit.

All four of them navigated back through the illusion rooms, past the empty Fayth chamber, up the lift, and back outside the temple. The entrance showed no signs that it would collapse anytime soon, so first went Merris, then Wren, then Tana.

Twill greeted each of them, then rose to their feet to stretch their back out comfortably. "That took longer than I thought. Did you find the pyreflies?"

Before anyone could answer, Yue showed themself, crawling through the opening with ease. Twill took a step back from their sudden appearance, looking to the others with a stunned expression.

Their equally confused faces did little to answer Twill's puzzlement.

"This is Yue," said Wren, stepping closer to Twill. "We found them inside the Fayth chamber."

She trailed off, not knowing how to phrase her bewilderment at the whole situation.

Twill looked on at the lanky and pale stranger. "Are they coming with us?"

Wren could only shrug, wide eyed confusion still plain. "Seems like it. Let me know what you think of them later, alright?"

Yue seemed not to notice the confusion surrounding them, even as everyone walked in silence back to their camp.

Chia, as usual, was likely onboard the ship and nowhere to be seen. Tana went aboard to fill her in and let her know a new face had joined them.

As the sun was starting to sink into the sky (another fact that made that chamber inside the temple seem so otherworldly), Twill got the fire started and invited Yue to sit with them.

Around this time everyone was starting to feel hungry, so they broke out their recent procurements for their dinner.

Despite the eager anticipation of dinner, Yue's presence had created a sort of unease, an unspoken vow of silence still hung between all of them. Even Chia, once she wandered out of the ship to gawk at the new stranger, stayed silent. Yue seemed to only further cement the silence, seemingly content to say nothing at all.

As Twill put the pot over the fire, finally they were the one to break that silence.

"If I may ask, what is a guado doing out here alone?" they asked. They seemed to be addressing Yue, but the silence seemed to further descend on the camp once the question had been asked.

"Uh… Twill?" asked Merris, glancing from the stranger to the group's resident healer.

Twill's eyes had an innocent, confused appearance as the focus honed in on them. Clearly, they didn't think there was anything strange about what they'd said.

"Yue, is uh…" said Wren, looking to the group's new addition. "Not… a guado, right?"

Yue glanced down at themself, as if studying the sickly pallor of their skin. "All I know is that I simply am."

At this, the group exchanged an uneasy look.

Twill covered their mouth as they tried to focus on a closer look at Yue. "I was sure that I… It's the hair, and the- I'm sorry, for some reason it's hard to look for very long."

Wren looked at the same time and also found this to be true. For a moment, their appearance seemed to shift, moving like ink in water. She could almost make out the unique silhouette of a guado's hair and horns, characteristic markings on their skin, before they vanished again, and Wren saw only the face she had just been introduced to. If she tried to see that outline again, a dull pain formed behind her eyes.

Rubbing at her eyes, she looked away from them, frowning as Merris and Tana also winced and turned away. "Yue… what are you? Is that rude? I'm just a little confused."

Yue paused. They had a childlike quality about them, even as their face flashed again, shifting to that of a worn and bearded man before returning to normal again.

The stock in the pot was starting to boil over. Tana swore and stood up to tend to their dinner, but the air remained decidedly tense even though the curse was lifted.

"I am Yue," they said, seeming to think about it for a moment. "I woke up here in the temple alone, with no way to leave. I sat down and waited. You all are the first people I've seen since… since I gained consciousness."

That only raised more questions.

"Where did you come from?" asked Tana, looking over her shoulder. The food had been removed from the fire, but no one seemed very interested in eating it.

"I suppose I must have come from the temple," said Yue.

Wren didn't feel any less uneasy, hearing that.

"I went looking for any sign of those weird pyreflies, but all I found was you," she admitted. "Are you… Unsent, maybe?"

"I don't think so," said Yue, though they frowned as they answered. "No, I don't think so."

"You would probably remember if you were, right?" offered Tana, still trying to make sense of the situation.

Everyone knew it now - there was something very wrong with this person, but no one could quite piece together what.

"They… do smell like the Farplane, though," said Twill, frowning. "The way I'm unable to read them, and their face… doesn't it remind you of those fragmented memories that play out here?"

Just then, Yue's face flickered once more, to a face more familiar to Wren. Though their complexion remained as colorless as ever, the face was unmistakably Yuna's.

Wren gasped, leaping to her feet so quickly it startled Merris as well.

"It's exactly like that-" said Wren, forgetting her manners to gape at them. "What do you see, Twill - does their face look familiar to you?"

Twill, who had also seen that briefest of flashes, tried one more time to peer into Yue's eyes, who didn't seem bothered by it at all, instead giving an innocent smile that indicated their cooperation.

As they gazed deeper, it became harder to focus, but just before they turned their head away to rub at their aching eyes, a look of recognition crossed their features.

"If I look hard enough, I see a guado. It's Lord Jyscal's murderer, Seymour," they said, blinking the fatigue from their eyes. "It's not obvious at first because the face is constantly changing, and he looks a little younger than when he arrived in Guadosalam - but I know that face."

Merris also looked closer, but shook his head. "I don't see either of those things, but I don't recognize the face I see. It looks like a guy maybe our age, maybe a warrior monk? But then it goes away."

Wren folded her arms out of frustration, then took her seat once more. "What's going on? The way what we see changes is the same as those afterimages… Are you… real?"

Yue blinked glassy eyes at the group. "As I said, I know nothing of that. All I know is the room I first awoke in."

It was all pointing towards something, but none of them could quite figure out what. All of them had their suspicions, all of which more or less amounting to the idea that Yue was not truly of Spira, but that much was obvious from the moment they mentioned the Final Aeon.

Days went by. The stranger never left the camp and ate little, but they weren't unwelcome. It seemed that they had no better place to be, and to tell the truth, Wren was happier to have them in the camp than to leave them inside the temple. Such a strange and apparently vulnerable being was safer where their eyes could follow.

On the eighth day, the time for waiting had ended. The uneasy comfort that settled in the camp was shattered.

Mobius was there.


	31. No Justice

It was early afternoon when he was finally spotted parting the mountain pass with a cruel-looking mount beneath him.

No chocobo could make the journey through the mountains - they were no strangers to rocky terrain, but even the hardiest breeds more suited to cooler climates, could not withstand the cold for the entire passage. It was just a fraction of what made the trip over Gagazet so perilous. No, until he got closer over the long stretch of sea between them, Wren couldn't even make out what was coming towards them.

She was certain he was riding on top of an Aeon, and as she and the others scrambled to prepare for a fight, she felt something inside her sink, heavy with dread.

There was barely enough time to convince scrappy little Chia not to try to fight her former employer, but she promised to confine herself to the ship in time before they could make out the proper shape of the Aeon.

From a distance, it was impossible to parse - an ooze that stretched across treacherous ice and rock with more ease than anything so fluid should be able to achieve.

When at last it was visible, Mobius, sitting comfortably on its back, rose to his feet, as if he were gliding. The parts that stretched out seemed to be some form of tentacle that it used to pull itself along. The part that Mobius stood on was actually an iridescent black shell. The shine of its shell and the sheen of its eyes and limbs made the great mollusk almost seem like it was glowing, reflecting the light from the sky and sea as he made his way across.

His crossing of the great expanse between the mountain and the camp beneath the citadel was so much quicker than anyone ever anticipated. Yet at the same time, Wren felt like she was holding her breath, anticipating an impact.

Finally, though it had taken time, he had arrived.

"Ymir, stop," he ordered, and the creature below him groaned to a halt. His voice and that of the Aeon echoed through the area, trapped by a neat arrangement of debris surrounding them that reverbated all sound just a little too well. It felt like it was coming from everywhere and nowhere at once.

He was no more than eight meters away. Wren closed her eyes as if in prayer. Though all of them were poised to attack, none seemed willing to make the first move, hesitant with the presence of the Aeon.

"How is your summoning going, Wren?" he asked at last. He stooped to lower himself down from Ymir's shell, stroking the side of the shell soothingly as he did. The Aeon's eye stalks dipped like a nod of its head.

Wren didn't feel she should answer, but her eyes narrowed when they fell on him.

She had no choice. They still hadn't come up with a solution better than sending him to the Farplane. The brief discussions they'd' had about what to do with him, she had been too afraid to suggest a deathless alternative because she knew it wasn't realistic. The most she had done was express that she was afraid to take a life, but she knew she may not have to be the one to do so. All they had settled on was that Twill, the only one with any expertise, would be the one to send him.

"I see you're in no mood to chat," said Mobius, almost amused, but there was no joy in his teasing. "If you're ready - I really must be getting to the temple."

"Good luck - it's completely sealed off," said Tana. "There's no way you're getting inside even if you get past us."

A bluff. Yue had rejected their offer to sleep aboard the Hyacinth, instead returning to the temple at night. The passage was open, thanks to their preference towards the place where they'd been found, but they were no fighter. Yue was inside, and with any luck, they would stay there. There was a very real chance of endangering them if the group couldn't hold Mobius off.

"We'll see," Mobius assured them.

He extended his arm, pointing his crystalline trident at the group that stood huddled together in the huge entryway, almost backed against an invisible wall.

Ymir let out a sound that was somewhere between a gurgle and a shriek, a wet sound that sent chills through Wren's body. All four of them parted in the middle as its tentacles reached for them.

It lurched at them, slimy tendrils making contact with Merris' leg. It was only thanks to his own agility that he had a chance to move before it could do more than graze him. "Ugh!"

The effect of its touch was almost instant, however, and a shudder wracked his figure. Even as he moved away from it, suddenly his movements looked more sluggish, like he was exerting much more energy to the same effect.

"Merris!" shouted Tana, running towards him in a long sprint.

There wasn't enough space to run around in the protected area that was the camp. It had become a diamond shaped arena, with Ymir smack in the center of it. As Tana crossed from one side of the diamond to the other, she discarded her sword when a second swipe of tentacles came for them. She launched herself horizontally into the air to tackle Merris to the ground before Ymir reached him again.

"Keep it together," she urged. "What's going on?"

He sat up slowly, rubbing his shoulder from the impact. "I don't know! I can't get my feet to move fast enough. Don't let it touch you."

"Twill! He's slowed," called Tana.

Twill and Wren had run the opposite direction of the siblings, but Twill was closer to them than Wren.

"Go, I'll use my magic," said Wren, bracing herself with her staff readied.

Twill nodded, wary to leave her alone as she was the least agile of the bunch, but they couldn't afford to have Merris, easily the quickest, working at half speed.

They gripped their spear tightly, and used it to vault themselves over a cluster of tentacles in the middle of the field to reach Merris.

Tana made a dash to retrieve her sword from near where their fire had been extinguished while Wren readied a spell.

Once the blade was in her hand, she charged. Her eyes were far from the Aeon, though she dodged its reach expertly. No, her target was the one who had created it.

Mobius seemed to welcome the challenge as he stood beside the also advancing snail. His trident hooked in her direction in a two handed stance, he directed Ymir to protect him.

The tentacles that rushed to impede Tana's dash were cleaved in two by her sword, opening her path.

Wren studied the beast before her as Twill departed. The logic behind which magic was most effective was generally pretty straightforward. Casting thunder magic made it easier to hit flying targets - usually. It was also the most effective against sea creatures. It was on land, but it definitely could belong in the sea just as easily, if it were a normal creature. That was her safest choice.

Twill raised their hand as if cupping something in the air, then waved their staff over Merris' form.

Instantly, the ailment that slowed his movements dissipated, and he was back on his feet.

As Wren gathered energy in her staff, her hair began to stand on end. Sparks licked at her fingertips, and were expelled in a blinding flash from the staff. The magic lightning struck the snail head-on.

It screamed again, each of its tentacles that were occupied with Tana recoiled from both attacks as Ymir retreated into its shell.

Tana grinned triumphantly as the beast seemed much worse off with that. She was nearly upon Mobius now, but the tentacles had cost her some time.

Mobius was still in that same stance with the trident ready to take Tana on. He advanced on Tana as his Aeon recovered in its shell. He jabbed with the hooked end of the trident, and Tana moved away from it easily by swiftly turning to the side.

She laughed. "No fancy magic? You can't keep up with my sword."

His lips curled in frustration as he used his staff to block a blow to his head. He forced the sword away from him, but his next attack was equally as futile. "I can't cast magic at the same time as I have an Aeon summoned," he said through gritted teeth.

Wren gave a noise of delight when the mollusk disappeared into its shell. It looked like she'd made the right call after all. She charged up a second attack, though its fleshy body was nowhere in sight.

Twill raised their head as the sound of electricity grew. The sound was coming from Wren, wasn't it? Of course, they were closer to the Aeon than to her, on its left-hand side. As Wren released her spell, that dull humming grew louder when the impact splashed against the side of its shell.

Mobius too stopped attacking when Twill shouted. "Everyone, get back!"

Wren wasn't close enough to Ymir, but Tana, standing right where Mobius had been, and Merris, making a run for the shell, were too close to run away from it in time. Mobius had already absconded, knowing what would come next as a flash of light blinded all of them.

Everyone's voices carried their terror as a wave of lightning pulsed forth from Ymir's shell, in direct retaliation to Wren's attack. It was as if she'd cast the second attack directly against a mirror. It was only returning the favor.

Two voices turned from fear to agony as the shock coursed through the bodies of those unlucky enough to be closest to the Aeon.

When the light subsided, Tana and Merris had been brought to their knees, both still alive, but only barely.

Twill's expression, once their vision cleared, turned into one of horror. They had fought plenty of fiends on their journey, and even though they knew an Aeon was in a league of its own, this was far worse than any of them truly expected. They only had to use their skills in white magic a handful of times between rests.

Tana, closer still to Mobius, needed Twill more urgently, but there was too much terrain for them to cross before Mobius would have a chance to get to her.

Ymir emerged once more from its shell, tentacles open as it gave another shrill cry. They wrapped around Tana's waist, knocking the wind out of her as she was hoisted into the air. It pulled itself forward with its remaining limbs, as the ones holding Tana hurtled through the air. It deposited her beside her brother as the distance between it and the citadel's entrance closed.

Twill could manage this distance, especially as Ymir seemed to have lost interest in the two that were seconds away from losing consciousness.

"He only cares about getting us out of his way," realized Twill, though they felt somewhat relieved as they ran to Tana and Merris. At least they could tend to the injured.

They wished desperately that they had taught Wren any healing skills, but they hadn't anticipated a need for it when they set out, and it never seemed to come up.

Twill looked around the ruined campground. Where was Wren?

There was no time to answer that question, because the door to the ship was thrown open.

Chia came out, standing on the ship's gangplank, her crossbow trained on Mobius, who was now trailing behind Ymir as it crossed into the threshold of Zanarkand's citadel.

"Get them onboard," she shouted to Twill, jerking her head back in the direction of the ship. "I'm not letting that asshole get away."

She punctuated that by letting loose a few shots from the bow, only one of which hit its target: the broad side of Ymir's shell.

"Get back inside!" Twill hiss-whispered, even as they pulled Merris to his feet. "You can't handle him alone!"

Ymir turned slightly when it felt the impact, but Mobius placed his hand on its shell, urging it on.

"You're hardly faring very well out here yourself, my friend," said Mobius, a cocky twinkle in his eyes. "Consider the ship a gift, mechanic. I won't need it where I'm going."

Chia snorted, an impolite phlegmy noise. "Not good enough. I want the money you owe me, and after what you've done, I'm not afraid to take it from you."

Mobius didn't spare her another look. "Take your injured and leave. My quarrel isn't with you."

Chia puffed up with anger at being dismissed, but Twill stopped her before she could get herself into more trouble.

"They need to be taken to Bevelle for help. They're in stable enough condition to make the trip," said Twill, transferring Merris from their shoulder to Chia's. "As soon as we get them onboard, I'm going to find Wren."

Chia inhaled sharply through her teeth, but nodded. She needed to get them to safety. "I'll come back for you."

Twill, making their way up the gangplank with Tana in their arms, shook their head. "Do not come back until they're alright. I can't leave until I find Wren, or we stop Mobius. We'll see what happens."

Chia scowled as she turned to get Merris seated on the ship, while Twill followed close behind her.

As soon as both siblings were secure, Twill fled the ship, making a break for the dome. Wren was nowhere to be seen, but neither was Mobius. He wasn't far though, Twill realized as they heard the sound of Ymir dragging its shell across the road above them. The trek was too long, so Twill found the pile of collapsed rubble they used to get away from the dome's entrance.

With their speak, they flung themself over much of the debris. The landing was rough and precarious - they kidded back down some of the rocks by a few feet. Once they regained their balance, they cleared the rest of the distance on their own. They brought themself to their full height on the winding path's upper level.

There was Mobius, standing in front of the dome, atop Ymir once again.

He just stood there, unmoving, in front of the dome, but from where Twill stood behind the two figures, they couldn't see why he had stopped.

"She holed herself up inside the temple," said Mobius, after a moment had passed.

Twill's arrival had not been quiet. He was addressing them directly now.

"She sealed herself inside?" they asked, with wide eyes.

In the distance, Twill heard the sound of the Hyacinth's engines taking off.

Twill ignored the monster, pushing past it to get to the dome, which appeared to have been moved by some outside force into a position that was impossible to pass, unlike its half open placement before. They placed a large hand on the metal dome. How had she moved the dome?

"If you don't move out of my way, I'll move you myself," said Mobius, sliding down from Ymir's shell.

Twill didn't know what to do. If they fought back, Mobius would go through them anyway. If they complied, they would live to fight another day. And they may need that day.

They hung their head in surrender, clearing themself from the path. Was Wren really inside? She must have been, or else the path they'd all blown open would still be there. Twill felt hopeless. Defeated.

On Mobius' order, Ymir began winding its tentacles around the dome's lip, getting a firm grip on the only way in. With a groaning creak, the metal dome was raised into the air, more than enough room for Mobius and his monster.

On the other side of the entrance was Wren, apparently waiting for the storm to pass. Unfortunately, as he looked into her deer-wide eyes, he had brought it directly to her.

She ran.

There was so little left between him and the temple, and Wren wasn't a strong runner. She kicked off her sandals when she stumbled through the long hallway. Even with her best effort, Ymir was faster than her, and its slimy limbs coiled around her waist, restraining her completely.

"I still need you," said Mobius, smug. "We aren't finished here yet."

She cried out, but just as Merris was, she was overcome with fatigue. Her expression was one of terror and despair, but she stopped struggling.

Ymir crawled along swiftly, even while restraining her. Wren felt desperate, but there was little she could do, being dragged along and now under this strange affliction as well.

Oh, she was tired. To move took far more effort than she could muster on a good day. Tears pricked at her eyes from frustration.

"Wren!" called Twill, running behind the three of them. "Keep your eyes open!"

It did little to console her, but for Twill's sake, she tried.

A growing feeling nagged at her and her eyes flew open as something dawned on her. Where was Yue? She had known they were inside when she had used Amalthea to seal the entrance, but she'd hoped Mobius would get discouraged and simply leave. What a stupid thought.

They were moving towards the lift, whether Wren wished it or not. They Aeon could easily fit on the huge lift with both Mobius and Wren along as well. A brief moment of curiosity had Wren wondering in the back of her mind just what this lift had been used for. Lugging the Fayth stone down, perhaps?

They descended, lower and lower, but they reached the lift long before Twill could. It was too late for them to even dare to jump.

When they reached the bottom of the lift, Wren could feel Yue nearby. Mobius must have felt them too, because he stopped before exiting the lift to look at her with suspicion.

"Why haven't you claimed the pyreflies yourself?" he asked, swaying towards her with one step.

Wren gazed back at him sluggishly. "I didn't find any."

He scowled, then turned his head in the direction of the door. "Even you must be able to feel their presence."

She shook her head. "I feel it, but that isn't the pyreflies. The kind we've been looking for aren't here."

He tilted his chin forward while he thought, then turned away. He motioned to Ymir. "I'll have to see for myself."

They crossed into the empty Fayth room, and he stopped to stare down at its ancient surface.

"This stone once housed the Fayth of Lord Zaon, Lady Yunalesca's husband and the first figure to become Sin," he said to Wren, though he was largely ignoring her otherwise. "It was tradition to come here and have Yunalesca herself create the Final Aeon. That is why summoners must forge strong bonds with their guardians. Lord Gandof, Lord Ohalland, Lady Yocun, before Lord Braska was the last high summoner to put his hopes in the teachings of Yevon and lay down his life."

Wren's head was swimming from how her blood was rushing to her face from how she was being held in place, but she just managed to understand his words. He seemed like he was talking too fast, and she felt ill.

"What about the teachings? You never believed in them anyway," she asserted, bitter frustration in her voice.

Mobius waved his hand, turning to look her in the eye.

"I believe in Spira," he said, simply. "Between these visions we share and my time as Bevelle's record keeper, if someone is to restore order to Spira, then I'm the only one qualified to do it."

Wren gritted her teeth in a miserable grimace. "Murder isn't 'order.'"

He only shrugged. "It's tradition, and a personal sacrifice hardly counts as murder. The summoners that came all this way come here to make that decision themselves."

Her expression grew darker. "What about Amalthea?" she asked, knowing fully that it would upset him.

He sucked in air through his teeth, almost in a hiss, but ignored the question for several moments. He was finished talking.

Whether or not that meant he felt guilty, she didn't know.

A moment later, Yue's face appeared from the dark corridor that lead into the illusion room they'd been found in. They peered into the Fayth chamber around the doorway, blinking brilliant eyes at the sight before them, before wandering into the room entirely.

Mobius turned.

"Who is this?" asked Mobius, raising his eyebrows as he approached them.

"We found them when we opened the dome," answered Wren, though her blood went cold watching him.

Yue seemed too stupefied to move, but they lifted their head to look at the approacher, their face flickered suddenly, showing the face of a woman that Wren had seen only in depictions in illustrations or temples.

"Yunalesca?" asked Mobius, stopping in his tracks just inches from them. "No… I've seen your true face before. Who are you?"

"My name is Yue," they said pleasantly, smiling.

"I've seen you before," said Mobius, frowning as he began to circle Yue. "Perhaps in a sphere brought to me for disposal…"

Ymir had moved in such a way that Wren could no longer see what was happening, but she was at least fully upright now. The relief was almost instant, her breathing a little easier again.

"The way your face is constantly changing… It reacts like a pool of pyreflies - Like a sphere. You're a reflection," said Mobius, his first circle completed.

Yue tilted their head. "Are you a summoner? I've never seen an Aeon like yours before…"

Yue didn't appear threatened by the man making close circles around them, but Mobius was becoming visibly irritated as he tried to solve what he had deemed a puzzle. His brows drew together, making his ocean eyes appear darker.

"No matter who you are, I know what you are," he said, ceasing his pacing. "I can feel something pulling at me, and it's leading me straight to you. My best guess? The memories of everyone who has ever passed through these halls imprinted on the pyreflies I seek and created you. You don't seem to know it yourself, so I suppose I'll never know the truth."

Ymir shifted again, waiting patiently, and Wren turned in time to see Mobius draw back his spear.

Yue seemed to welcome it, never flinching, but Wren couldn't bear the sight.

"No!" she shouted, but she could scarcely move.

Nevertheless, the sound startled Mobius, as if he'd forgotten about her. He fumbled when she cried out, enough that he had to stop to recompose himself before he could attempt again.

In that time, Wren hitched her breath and mustered all of her remaining strength to make one last attempt.

She had used Amalthea earlier to move the dome - she could call her again.

A blue light washed over the whole room as Mobius wound up again.

When the light dimmed and Wren was able to see again, Yue was gone. Amalthea's Aeon stood in the center of the room, luminous swords brandished as she faced Mobius.

The giant shellfish coiled around Wren's torso groaned and died away as Mobius dismissed it, lowering her to the ground in a crumpled heap like it was melting.

She felt something withdraw from her, like she was somehow lighter. Pyreflies began to swarm in the high-ceilinged room above them, raining down like stars as she stood up.

When she looked up, Amalthea had ceased moving, frozen in a perfect position to slice Mobius clean in two, if she was not motionless.

She extended one hand to catch one of the falling pyreflies in her palm as she gaped, half expecting it to melt into her skin, but it only hovered there, to her surprise. Her eyes remained wide as the room became increasingly filled with the remnants of a power she barely understood. They poured out of Mobius as well.

That strange effect still had a hold on Wren, and she couldn't muster the strength to stand, but she still looked around for Yue. They really were gone.

"What's happening?" she asked, her raw voice cracking when she spoke.

"You've done little more than save me a lot of trouble," said Mobius, walking around Amalthea to approach her. "Collecting those remnants for me, and then delivering them to me. Tell me, how many did you collect? I gathered them from five different locations myself."

Wren felt something icy in her stomach as he got closer. She tried to back away from him, crawling backwards like a crab, but her muscles couldn't take her very far. Her body still felt like rubber, and as hard as she tried, she was scarcely moving at all.

"I won't hurt you," said Mobius, in a voice that made her almost believe him. "Let me heal you. The mucus secreted by Ymir's Aeon has a peculiar effect on anyone who touches it, but I can cure it."

She wanted to tell him to stay back, but her condition was causing her so much strain, she couldn't bring herself to refuse his aid. "What did you do to Yue?"

"The person you know as Yue never existed. I returned them to their original state," he said calmly as he knelt down beside her. He gestured to the shimmering air around them. "They were nothing more than the last remnant I needed to collect."

Wren didn't like his answer one bit, but there was no point in pressing him on it. He would never admit his actions were cruel, if he felt his logic were sound. "And Amalthea?"

His hand glowed as he readied an esuna spell to cure her. "I've begun the process of reconstructing Sin already. The pyreflies that were within you are mixing with mine, and the ones gifted to us by Yue. They will use her as the foundation for my Sin."

Wren whimpered as the magic worked its course, a strangled sob as she looked at Amalthea's frozen form. She reached out a hand to try to banish her, but found she had no control over the Aeon at all. "Why would you do this to her - you can't!"

He shook his head, then stood up, moving away from her as the fog lifted. "When we were a summoner and guardian, it was already inevitable. I would die by her hand, and she would be taken as compensation, to become Sin and bring a new Calm for a short time."

"You know she didn't want that," said Wren, getting to her feet behind him. "She showed me everything. She depended on you."

"And now she's after my head," said Mobius, moving so that Amalthea's extended sword was at his throat, too close for Wren's comfort. "One day, my Sin will be defeated, and like Yu Yevon before me, I will create it anew. There will always be another to replace her."

Just listening to him made her feel sad and hopeless. "Why would you do that to yourself? You could have had a normal life, without all this."

He stepped away from Amalthea to retrieve his trident where it had fallen. The pyreflies were coming together around the Aeon, one by one flowing into her. Wren felt a strange tug at her, different from her sensitivity to the remnants.

"If she really showed you everything, then you know I never had a future to speak of," he said, sighing. "The monks said it themselves. No one knew what to do with us because they expected us to be shipped off to die."

"They were wrong," whispered Wren, hoarsely. "Just because they mistreated you didn't mean you couldn't grow without them."

He shook his head again, extending the one arm with his trident, while the other pulled his dark braid loose, freeing his ridiculously long hair. "It's already too late, Wren. I made up my mind years ago, and now I'm nearly finished. This is what I want, and now I want you to spread the word. Send word to all the great temples, take my Fayth stones to each one and start training summoners again. Maybe it will even be you who defeats my Sin, if you're feeling determined. The officers beneath me in Respira have been instructed on how to create an Aeon - the tradition of the Final Aeon won't die with me."

Wren was restored to normal, and could even run and take the lift back up to Twill and escape, but she couldn't resign herself to the future Mobius was trapping her into. She put her face in her hands. That tugging feeling wouldn't leave.

The light show was ending, and Mobius began swaying his trident in the air as the final pyreflies filled Amalthea's Aeon. He almost appeared to be dancing, turning the trident as he twisted across the moss and stone, treading across the cracked and ancient Fayth stone.

Wren heard the lift moving behind her, and she turned to look. It began to ascend as it was called to the top, now that Ymir wasn't weighing it down.

A new light began, exploding out of the ensnared Aeon. It brought Mobius to his knees where he collapsed, and blinded Wren once again when she turned to find its source. The tugging feeling doubled in intensity, and when Wren felt it would tear her in two, she found herself unable to remain conscious. Something was pulling her in, she felt like her body was a thousand miles away.

She couldn't hold on any longer.

In the blinding light, she slipped away, and for her alone, the rest of the world went dark.


	32. Even in Dreams

Wren found herself in the fountain courtyard of her dreams. It seemed she was still asleep.

The thing that she noticed first was that there didn't seem to be anyone else around. Though the city in her dreams had first been empty, there was something eerie about them slowly filling with new faces, and now being completely void of life again.

She reached out to Amalthea, but there was no answer.

"Amalthea?" she tried again, standing to her feet.

Still nothing.

Anxious, she started walking. Out of the fountain court, to anywhere more populated than this, but she was already losing hope of seeing another face.

Memories of what had happened before she had been knocked out flashed into her head. The thought of Amalthea's fate was a heavy weight on her shoulders.

Wren didn't completely agree with Amalthea, but no one deserved what Mobius had done to her. And he was threatening to do it again, and again, over and over without end. Dwelling on the idea had her bubbling with anger.

As she walked, she became steadily more anxious. Nothing felt right. It wasn't just the lack of a crowd that was bothering her, or even mourning for Amalthea. No, she was slowly aware of something looming over her, pulling her towards a destination. It was the same way she'd felt the first time she'd seen the Hall of the Hymn in Djose.

She stopped in her tracks, turning her head to determine the source of the call.

It led her down the winding streets, to a building on her left that appeared to be a library. Her guard was still lowered as she climbed the steps to the entrance, and once she got to the top, she hesitated.

What was on the other side of this doorway? She didn't have to wonder for very long, hearing the shuffling of feet on the other side, moving towards her. Out of instinct, or habit, she froze. Though she didn't move from where she stood, she felt herself trembling when she saw the face of the person that emerged from the library.

"Wren…?"

It was Mobius, but he looked different. It was his hair, she thought. It seemed even longer, but perhaps she was just so used to seeing his hair tied up that she couldn't tell. His clothes were certainly different - flowing robes that revealed more skin in the form of his partially exposed chest.

He looked just as bewildered to see her as she felt, and his face turned almost as pale as Yue's had been. She wouldn't forget what he'd done to them either, "real" or not.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, an urgency rising in his voice.

Wren found herself irritated with him suddenly, rather than afraid. "What are you talking about? This is my dream. Why shouldn't I be here?"

He brought his hand to cover his mouth. His eyes glittered with something that Wren could only identify as worry.

"A dream it may be, but not yours," he said, pulling his hand away from his face. "You shouldn't be here. You're supposed to be outside, making preparations."

A new unease was settling over her as he spoke, and she lowered her folded arms, giving him an inquisitive look. "When that light appeared, I passed out and came here, just like I do almost every night. Are you… really Mobius? The real Mobius?"

He shook his head, but not in response to her question, and his eyes fell to the floor. "Yes, I'm as real as you are. These dreams of Zanarkand, I've had them for nearly six years now. This dream is different… it's more alive than any dream we've ever had before. We… are inside Sin."

Wren took a step back from him to look around at the city. The building, the streets, the sky… They all looked normal to her. She turned around to face him again. "This is what the inside of Sin looks like? Where are we really?"

She seemed to think it was a joke, but he didn't smile, instead staring at her blankly. "I'm serious. This is a stronghold for Sin's summoner. It's cut off completely from the outside world. That means that you and I are the only ones here."

Wren's expression fell even further, and she shook her head in disbelief. "What? But I didn't- You were the one who-"

She couldn't even finish her accusation, choking on the words as abject horror set in like a bird of prey plucking a rabbit from the ground. She put her face in her hands. She could feel that he was telling the truth. Deep below her feet, she could sense something alive. It was real…

"I shouldn't be here - this can't be happening," she whispered. "If I'm here, who's going to end this?"

Mobius' lips were pressed into a tight line, and he looked away from her out of discomfort. If she could have noticed, she would have seen the same question plastered across his face. "You weren't supposed to be here with me. It must have been when the pyreflies were released… We were the only ones there when the ritual was completed, and you got dragged in because the remnants of the original Sin were within you as well. It… couldn't distinguish between two summoners."

Wren lowered herself to the ground, sitting pensively on the steps.

"I had hoped you would remain in Spira, to spread the word of Sin's return, and maybe to one day come to Amalthea's rescue," said Mobius, sighing as he moved closer behind her. "I felt you approaching the library. We are bound together now, whether we like it or not. You must have felt it too."

"I did," she said, misery evident in her voice. She was sinking farther and farther into her agony, something Mobius could see even through his own filter

He hurried to her side, kneeling down beside her on the first step. "Wren, this is very important. In my dreams, this library is where I spent my time, reading about the ancient summoners of Zanarkand and their techniques. There are many tomes detailing theories on life after death - the unsent, fiends, and the many forms they might take."

His voice was almost pleading with her as Wren tried to turn away from him. "To create such a powerful Aeon as Sin, as Yu Yevon did, as we have, we give up our true forms. What holds us together now will begin to wear with time, and we'll gradually lose all sense of self. If you fall into despair now, you risk robbing us both of our senses before our time."

His explanation brought her no joy, but she stopped to listen when he implored to her. She was scared, but he was making sense.

"You _must_ keep yourself together, for both of our sakes." He brushed a piece of her hair away from her face. She would have recoiled from his hand, but the sight of the length of her hair also had her frozen. It was several inches longer than it should have been, and she became aware for the first time that it hung down her back and shoulders heavily. Everything was different. _She_ was different.

"Who is in control of Sin now? How could Sin be inside Zanarkand temple?" she asked tentatively, though her voice still wavered.

Mobius rose to his feet, looking out into the horizon. "For the moment, no one. It's odd. Amalthea isn't resisting at all, yet I can't command her. As for your second question, I don't know. We've probably moved, somehow. Sin… wouldn't begin to fit inside that tiny room. With any luck, someone will see the beast, and maybe someone will become bold enough to try their hand against it."

"Don't call her a beast," hissed Wren, cutting her eyes up at him. "You made her this!"

But she could feel that he was right about Amalthea's resistance. She focused herself, trying to reach Amalthea, wherever she was.

"What are you doing?" asked Mobius, as if he could personally feel her attempt.

"I'm just checking on her," she said, scowling. There was only a faint answer, like the faintest pulse. Amalthea was there, and she was holding on, but she had no interest in fighting suggestion.

The idea that Wren could feel all of that, and potentially command Sin, terrified her.

He paused, then looked at her with awe. "You're the one stopping me from controlling it. You and I have an equal share of the power - I can't do anything without you."

Wren looked back at him with surprise as the realization of their stalemate dawned on both of them. Her expression was uncharacteristically smug for just a moment. "I'll let you dismiss Sin and free Amalthea."

His eyes silently fell to the side and he slowly turned away from her. There was her answer.

She smiled, almost genuine in spite of her situation. "Then neither of us will get what we want."

* * *

In Spira, Twill waited for help to arrive. They didn't expect Chia to return until at least the next day, but the supplies that had been left behind would be enough to live off of for a little while, even if the monkeys returned after being scared off by their scuffle.

They sat at the extinguished fire in the dark, pondering what they'd seen inside the temple.

They had arrived too late, just in time to see both Wren and Mobius disappear before their eyes in an explosion of pyreflies. Before that, on their way down, they had seen the light pouring into the lift shaft through the dark well it dwelled in. There was no indication of what had produced the light, but it didn't seem like a good thing.

There was no obvious cause for what had happened in the Fayth chamber, but Twill was certain that Mobius had succeeded. The whole scene had been too unusual, like Twill could just feel that something was off. They sincerely hoped they were wrong.

Panic would break out, if Sin really was back, there was no hiding this. Those who remembered the world before the Eternal Calm would no doubt return to the old ways. Summoner's parties would return, but at no small expense. Without any of the old temple Fayth, though…

Twill winced. Mobius had probably intended for his Fayth stones to replace the ones that had vanished into thin air six years earlier. Their mind felt too weary for them to decide what to do about the situation. Once they could see how Merris and Tana were doing, they would try to discuss their options with the rest of the group.

The sun was beginning to set.

Twill was so tired.

* * *

By the time Chia was able to retrieve Twill, they had fallen into an exhausted sleep, but were more than glad to see a friendly face.

They filled her in on what they had seen on the way to Bevelle to visit the others.

Tana and Merris seemed to be doing well. They had been in rough shape when Chia brought them to the temple's monks for healing. At the very least, they were now moving around, though they were shaken. Twill broke down with relief to see them so well, after what they'd all been through.

Tana stood up from the futon that had been provided to her. "Where is Wren?"

Twill looked up from holding their face in their hands, a guilty look that they cast to Chia. If they'd gotten there sooner, if they'd just fought back instead of letting Mobius pass… "I don't know. I followed them into the temple, but when I got to them, they were both collapsed, and then they disappeared. Both of them."

"Do you think it means he did it?" asked Chia, looking between all of them.

Merris remained seated on his own futon, but he leaned over his knees with his hands folded between them. He didn't say anything.

Tana turned her head to look at him, then turned back to Twill with a nod. "Yeah… I think so. It's ridiculous, and I was concussed, but I had a weird dream, or… a nightmare, I guess. It was about Wren and Mobius, but I can't remember the rest of the dream. I just remember being scared. Like something really bad happened. I still feel a kind of dread, I guess…"

Twill was surprised by Tana's confession, but they nodded understandingly. "I've felt the same way ever since I reached the temple's Fayth chamber. I don't know _what_ happened down there, but I think we need to treat it as if Sin really has returned."

They all murmured in agreement, but nothing felt real even though they were forced to take things seriously.

"It would be nice if we could keep this quiet, but there's no way no one will notice when," started Chia, but the gravity of what she was saying made her pause. "When Sin starts wrecking cities again…"

They were all lucky to be alone in the room.

Merris leaned back, frowning. "The Al Bhed in Bikanel and what's left of the Machine Faction aren't super connected anymore, except for between families. I'd write to Mom and Dad, but I don't want to worry them…"

Tana rolled her eyes, looking to the rest of the group. "They were really big on that whole thing about sabotaging pilgrimages so that summoners would stop marching to their deaths willingly."

"They had the right idea, but I think they were a little confused," added Merris.

"Isn't saving the lives of summoners a good thing?" asked Chia.

"Sure, but some of that group didn't stop at sabotage. Cid's girl was one of the ones going out and kidnapping the summoners right off the roads and bringing them to our Home, remember?" said Tana.

Merris grimaced. "A little? But now she's a legendary guardian to a high summoner - maybe she and her dad were right?"

He was joking, but no one laughed, including him.

"We really will have a problem on our hands pretty soon, if Respira has its way," said Twill. "There are enough Aeons there to start distributing them to the rest of the temples. We'll never be able to fight back hard enough to keep them from making a pilgrimage, if word gets around."

Merris nodded. "Maybe we should go to Besaid… Tell Yuna what's going on."

Tana shook her head. "We can't hide it forever, but if we tell Yuna, she'll definitely take it into her own hands. Wren had to all but beg her not to run after Mobius herself."

"But we might save a lot of lives," said Twill. "Those little islands are vulnerable. ...I think we should tell her guardians, and let them figure it out… Since one of them is in charge of the village anyway."

Tana sighed. "This is a disaster, no matter how you look at it, but I actually agree. I wasn't thinking about that. I wonder if hearing about it from her guardians will be enough to convince her to stay home, though."

"What if we defeat Sin first?" asked Chia, causing everyone to turn their eyes to her. She shrugged a little, looking sideways at them with a dull look. "We're not just gonna do nothing, right? And, no offense, but we're kinda responsible for making resurrecting that thing possible, since we couldn't stop him."

Twill scowled. "I won't use his Aeons, and no matter what, none of you are about to be sacrificed to become Mobius' puppet. If it has to be us, we're going to have to do it without a summoner."

"And neither of us can use magic," said Merris, gesturing between himself and his sister. "But… yeah, I guess I'm in."

Tana winced. "With Mobius gone, that leaves me in charge of the few duties he had in Djose. I might have my hands full for a little while."

"The way the town is built into the rock, though, I bet Sin won't be able to hit us very hard. Unless we flood, it should be fine," she added, thinking. "First thing I'm gonna do is turn that ugly mansion of his into a proper hotel."

Twill couldn't hide their disappointment. "You'll go back to Djose, then?"

"Just for a little while," she said, also looking disappointed. "I need to make sure we can take an attack from Sin before I can leave it alone. And… we might have trouble in town from Respira, if I don't keep an eye on them."

Merris tilted his head. "Also, we, uh, might need to go through a little more training before we're ready to take on Sin. This might take time."

"Where will you go?" asked Chia, looking over at him.

He scratched his little goatee while he thought, frowning. "I don't know. I might just do some traveling. I've got a lot of work to do. Maybe once I feel up to form, I'll meet up with you all in time to get back at Mobius."

"If we're splitting up, we have to keep in contact. It's too dangerous to leave something like this up to the whims of fate. We can wait until all of our preparations are finished, but not without keeping everyone updated," said Twill, folding their arms.

"What about you, Twill?" asked Merris.

Twill hesitated, unfolding their arms. They hadn't had a chance to think about it. "I guess I'll go home too, but not for long. Withholding information may be dangerous, so I need to make sure my mother knows what's happening. And… then I'll keep spreading the word, I guess. Even if no one believes it."

"I'll come with you," said Chia. "We'll get around a lot faster in _my_ ship. And- oh! The Gold Saucer. It's right smack in the middle of the Calm Lands. It'll be dangerous if anyone ever does challenge Sin there, since it's the only place big enough for a fight on that scale."

"If they can keep their business with all this mess," said Twill. "People will start staying safely at home again. There never used to be time for things like amusement parks, back when everyone had to live like they'd lose everything at any moment."

Everyone quieted down for a few moments, before Tana spoke.

"I think all of you should come with me to Djose first," she said, fidgeting with her hands. "Writing each other will be really hard if the rest of you are going to be on the move. So there's this guy who's responsible for the energy grid that Djose is on. Mobius paid him a lot to design the whole thing. He's not based in Djose, and keeps to himself most of the time, but he's business partners with Rin - the uh, Sphere Break guy - and he sends someone out to check on the grid every once in a while."

"What does that have to do with us?" asked Chia.

"Oh," said Tana, blinking. "Right. So all of our lights and such were designed by him - including the device that Mobius has on his front doorstep. It's like a regular sphere, but it shows a live image like the screens in Luca, but smaller. We could keep in touch easier if I can get him to send us a few of them in a portable version."

"Oh, like the CommSphere," said Twill, to Tana and Chia's confusion.

"Yes, that's what it's called, but how did…"

"Yuna gave us one when we visited her in Besaid the first time, but it broke when we jumped into the Farplane to find you," said Merris.

"I wouldn't mind having something like that on the ship normally," said Chia, humming.

Tana looked at Chia sympathetically. "Also, I'm sorry for roping you into all of this. If I'd known this was going to happen when we asked you to come along… I don't know. We still needed the ship."

Chia rolled her eyes. "And you needed me to fly the ship. As long as you keep your promise to me, I'll follow you all into the depths of the Farplane."

"Well, we won't be going back _there_ anytime soon," said Tana. "But yeah. Once Mobius' affairs are dealt with, the money is yours."

There was too much planning to be done in a very short time. Precautions had to be taken, and the group couldn't be everywhere at once. Though they were reluctant to split up, each of them had their own tasks ahead of them. If Tana could get CommSpheres to each of them, it would almost be like they were never even apart.

Except for Wren… Each of them tried to put their lost friend out of their heads. Twill wasn't even certain she was truly gone, since there had been nothing left behind to perform a sending, not even a body.

It was as if she had been spirited away altogether.

* * *

As each town and village received the news, few took the information seriously. Not Luca, whose docks remained supernaturally safe even during Sin's time, and most certainly not Bevelle, who believed the creature to be well and truly gone.

It was the smaller cultural hubs that were inclined to believe the story. Besaid's famous residents were skeptical, yet deeply troubled by the news. Kilika, ravaged by Sin more than once. Thanks to Twill's mother, Guadosalam was handling the news surprisingly well. Sin mostly had not bothered the city in the past, but the massive grove of trees that it was built under couldn't afford to be disturbed.

Rumors came some months later from Mt. Gagazet, from the Ronso, that Sin had been sighted somewhere over Zanarkand, but as time passed, nothing came of it. Tana in particular believed the Ronso messenger's every word. After what Twill had seen, how could she not?

Still, even with that news, the only reports that anyone had sighted the creature were from terrified fishmongers whose ships had been smashed or stranded during seasonal storms, not by a false god. Hoaxes, all of them, though their paranoia was very real.

To make matters worse, reports of strange dreams rippled across Spira.

No one quite knew where they had started, but they seemed to plague nearly everyone indiscriminately. There were always two things linking each report; a young girl with dark skin and ruddy brown hair, and a slender man with long dark hair like a violent sea.

The descriptions were vague, but the general populace of Spira weren't the only ones with troubled dreams. The party that had accompanied Wren to her possible demise had the same restless sleep. If it weren't for the growing annoyance of the public, they may have written the dreams off as their own imaginations.

Still, maybe they were lucky. Any time someone claimed to have seen Sin, it was far from land, and certainly far from any town. The destruction they all expected never came, but that didn't mean the peace would last forever.

That uncertainty was part of the reason that Tana and the others went so far to keep each other updated, while they all honed their skills. None of them were strong enough to handle Mobius, together or as individuals, and they were no match for Sin's impenetrable armor.

Not that they had any idea how to know when they would be ready. It was scary to think of what could happen in the time they were losing, but they had to be successful. If they failed because they were unprepared and charged in, that was it.

There would only be on chance.


	33. Friends Like These

It wasn't long before word came from the Ronso clans that Sin had been spotted from Mt. Gagazet. A courier had been dispatched, a sturdy young man who had no trouble crossing Spira on foot. To see a Ronso charging full speed down the path to Djose had come as a surprise to everyone involved, but the news he brought was too important.

It had only been about a month, but Tana was already emotionally exhausted.

Respira had put a lot of pressure on her to aid them in distributing the Fayth stones to the temples that had lost theirs, but she was doing everything in her power to forestall their efforts. She was lucky that those leftover from the Machine Faction were mostly on her side - all too happy to prevent the pilgrimage from beginning again. That made it much easier to turn away cart drivers attempting to take the shipments to their destinations.

For a little while, anyway. Until Respira got an idea of what was going on, and appointed a scout to keep an eye out for their deliveries.

That was how Kilika had received their stone.

She couldn't make any excuses for her own town, which threatened to keep its stone in Respira's basement, since Djose's temple served as a source of power to the town. This one she had given them to deflect suspicion that she was entirely opposed to the idea of training new summoners.

It was when Tana recruited a mischievous group of kids from town to stand farther down the road to stop the poor old hypello driving the cart from reaching the scout, by any means necessary, that they started to apply more pressure. Not that their efforts hadn't been successful, turning away at least one cart before it could reach the gate, but it didn't take long to figure out what was going on.

Tana had never expected her plans to become a permanent solution, but she didn't really have a backup plan. Though few people believed that Sin had returned, even after word from the Ronso, to oppose their fallback plan to fight off a currently invisible threat looked bad.

It wasn't long before someone showed up at Tana's doorstep to complain to her personally. A young man, named Eden, stood behind the door. She couldn't say she hadn't expected the visit, since this man was more or less in charge of Respira's activities, now that Mobius was gone.

A devout Yevonite, but not a holy man. Mobius had a certain charm, but a distaste for other people - she was sure now that this man was the one who had written his speeches, when he performed for his followers. She didn't know how much Eden knew about Mobius' true goal, and couldn't find out with revealing her own knowledge, but she was certain he knew nothing about her efforts to stop him only a month earlier.

He knocked on the wooden door fitted into the rocky cavern's entrance just a little more forcefully than she cared for.

"Eden," she greeted him, once the door was opened. She knew this might take longer than she wanted, so she stepped back to let him in. "Still having trouble getting someone to take care of your cargo?"

Eden scowled, but she ignored it. She wasn't exactly teasing him, but she wasn't going to pretend she had _no_ idea why he was here. It was a game, but not one she cared to play.

"I expect you would know a lot about that, wouldn't you?" he gruffed, though he followed her inside politely. "Since you're the one who keeps sending the caravans away."

He was a broad shouldered man in colorful robes that reminded Tana of a parrot. His eyes were just a little too far apart, but other than that, he was totally normal looking - if a religious figure was supposed to look like a bouncer from Luca. He was more clever than his muscle suggested, however. She had spoken to him only briefly before, but she knew from experience that if he opened his mouth too widely, his silver tongue would probably end in a fork.

Tana smiled sweetly and showed him to a seat where she began pouring a cup of tea for him. "I'm _sure_ I don't know what you mean."

Eden rubbed his eyes with one hand tiredly, only stopping when the tea was placed before him seconds later. "Tana, we've hardly spoken before now, so I'm going to come clean to you. If you would just hear me out for a moment."

Tana's smile fell, but she tried not to look as unpleasant as she felt, taking her seat across from him at her table. "Go on."

"I've been tasked with the burden of running Respira ever since our leader left. He left us nothing - the house he owned was turned into an inn by _you_ , so we can only make use of the lower levels," he said, heaving his shoulders in a heavy sigh. "The Fayth stones in the basement are very important. You know what the Ronso said about Sin's return. Do you want to leave Spira undefended against a monster that's hunted our skies and seas for a thousand years?"

Tana made a face. "No, of course not. Believe me, I've looked into the rumors myself. I don't plan on leaving the people of Djose or the rest of Spira defenseless."

"Yes, I've heard you've been practicing your swordsmanship skills. Don't tell me you're planning on abandoning the town and challenging Sin on your own," he said, a dull look in his eyes. "This isn't about fame and glory. If we want another Calm, there must be summoners. We are the only ones who can restore that power to Spira - who have the ability to bestow a Final Aeon."

That caught her attention, and she stared at him for a few moments of terrible silence. "I thought only Mobius knew how to create a new Aeon. Who taught you?"

Eden took a long drink of his tea. "Technically, no one _knows_ how, but there are former summoners in our ranks, and Mobius gave us the rites to perform before he left. There's no need to practice such a grim process without a reason."

"A lot of the people Mobius brought with him were apprentices from Bevelle, right?" asked Tana. "Are you a former summoner yourself?"

His expression turned almost embarrassed as he shook his head. "Not myself, no, but my brother was. Everything I do for this organization is for him, after all."

Her eyebrows went up, and she fidgeted with one of her long braids, almost embarrassed. "I didn't know you had a brother."

"You probably don't remember him from when we first arrived in Djose," said Eden, wearing a surprisingly somber smile that she could tell was genuine. "He is one of the few who became Children of the Fayth to protect Spira, in Sin's wake."

"Oh," she murmured, looking from him to the mess of twine and beads between them on the table. She could have done a better job of clearing it for him. "I'm sorry, I had no idea."

He shook his head. "It was more or less a secret, until recently, when we received word that Sin had truly returned. But this is the reason I will not rest until I see each stone placed in a temple, where they belong."

Tana almost felt guilty, but only for not being able to be completely honest with this man, who clearly didn't want his brother's sacrifice to be wasted. If Eden was from Bevelle's orphanage, she wondered if he once could have been his brother's guardian.

She sighed noisily.

She had already known that she couldn't put this off forever, but she'd really hoped her group would be ready to go before she had to worry about giving them a new answer.

"I will let you send them off without interfering on two conditions," she said, slumping back in her chair. "The first is that I want you to keep this quiet, until you've finished moving the stones. Don't let any prospective summoners in until a full pilgrimage can be completed."

Eden nodded. "Summoners must visit every temple in order to complete their pilgrimage, so we want to be sure it's ready before they're allowed to officially begin. I've actually corresponded with Bevelle on that subject already."

Tana hummed in approval before continuing. "Secondly, I would like to see the stones for myself. I understand that they're kept beneath our town's new tourist trap?"

His face contorted into a scowl once again, a face that she may have flinched away from, if she wasn't winning already. "No one is allowed into our halls except our highest ranking members."

She gave him a petulantly doubtful tilt of her head. "I just need to know exactly what is coming and going out of my town. Just one peek, and I'll be out of your hair."

He rolled his eyes. "I suppose I can show them to you, if that's what it will take to convince you."

Tana smiled. "Then we have a deal."

* * *

Twill and Chia hadn't returned to Zanarkand since they'd packed up their campground and left the city behind. Until word from the Ronso arrived, there was no reason to go back.

After spending a lot of time trying to convince people that their lives really and truly could be at risk, they had only mixed results to show for it. It was exhausting, and troubling, when Tana gave them the news that despite the refusal to believe they were in danger, Bevelle had given permission to install Respira's Fayth stone in the grand temple.

"They wouldn't even let us see the council without causing a scene first," Chia complained.

The CommSphere Chia had mounted in the Hyacinth's control panel was a little too low to capture both of them with Twill standing at their full height. They had to lean down low over her shoulder to be visible, and to see Tana at the same time. "At that point, they weren't very interested in listening to us anymore."

Tana's image through the little sphere was difficult to make out, but it was her. They talked as often as they could, but it still left each of them wishing it was the real thing. "Yeah, that's what I thought. When he told me he'd been talking to someone in Bevelle about it, I realized he's already gone through official channels; I can't delay them anymore."

Twill sighed. "I'm sure they're excited to get a new spectacle to bring in tourists - I wonder if the council even knew anything about Mobius and his actions before forming Respira, if they have dealings with his underlings."

Tana shook her head. "I doubt it. I talked the new leader into letting me into the Hall of the Hymn. It's eerily quiet down there, without the couple of stones that are missing."

"If they take the other stones out, I guess it'll just be 'the Hall,' won't it?" asked Chia, under her breath. "What'd you want to go back down there for?"

With a sort of sheepish look, Tana gave a shrug. "Can I just say I was curious? Apparently, Eden is the brother of one of the Children of the Fayth Mobius created."

"Which one?" asked Twill.

"Leviathan," said Tana, lowering her voice like it was a great secret. "Anyway, you know how Amalthea's stone was dead center, in the entrance?"

"Who's Leviathan?" asked Chia.

Twill put a hand on Chia's shoulder, but didn't answer. "Yes, I remember."

"The stone hasn't been moved, but for whatever reason, they've got it covered, and she isn't singing anymore," said Tana, showing her palms in a sign of confusion. "I asked them if they were moving that one soon, and he said that they'd come down the lift one day and the stone had just split straight down the middle."

"Just like the one in Zanarkand," murmured Twill.

Tana nodded vigorously. "Exactly! What do you think that means? He said it happened about a month ago, around the same time _we_ were in Zanarkand."

Chia looked up at Twill, hunched over the back of her chair and stood up, offering to switch seats with them while they thought.

"It's definitely connected," they said, frowning. "The one in Zanarkand used to hold a Final Aeon, right? I hate to say it, but… I wonder if Amalthea's Aeon was the one Mobius used to create Sin."

Chia flashed them a confused look. "I thought you said Mobius couldn't use her Aeon. Does that mean Wren helped him?"

"No!" said Twill, maybe a little too hastily. "She'd never do that. Her mother was killed by Sin, she'd never help him bring it back."

"It sounds worse than that," said Tana, wincing. "If only Wren can summon Amalthea, and Mobius created Sin from her Aeon… Do you think Wren is still alive?"

This question, Twill was more hesitant to answer. "I don't know. All I can say for sure is that if Wren had any hand in this, Mobius must have tricked her."

Tana sighed, adjusting the CommSphere so she could see while she rested her chin in her palm. "Better hope she's alright, wherever she is. I don't have to tell you all that Mobius is dangerous."

"Our only clue is those weird dreams," said Chia, dragging a hand down her face. "Have we figured that one out yet?"

Tana paused, then shrugged. "I started writing the dreams down as soon as I woke up. I thought maybe there might be some clue, but my memory is kind of fuzzy, and it's not like I have them every night."

"That's still a good idea. Maybe we can put our heads together and compare notes," said Twill.

As Tana started to answer, the image on the little sphere grew hazier for a moment, and then snapped back to normal just as Tana finished speaking, rendering whatever she'd said inaudible.

"Hey, we're getting some interference from Zanarkand," said Chia, leaning over the controls to get a better look. "Go ahead and call Merris, we'll call you back when we wrap up here, okay?"

Tana nodded, then opened her mouth again to speak, but the audio was once again too garbled to make out. She smiled when she realized they hadn't heard her, then waved, before hanging up herself.

Twill glanced at the readings on the sensors in front of them, unable to make any sense of them. "Is the interference from the pyreflies around the citadel?"

"I don't know, maybe?" shrugged Chia, moving around Twill to see a different dial. "Shinra said the signal might have issues in places like the Thunder Plains, but I didn't think it would matter, since there's no way I'd ever fly us into a storm anyway."

"It's a little cloudy right now, that could be it," offered Twill.

"Mm, yeah, maybe?" she said. "I had to recalibrate some of my equipment after we first installed this thing, so I haven't had a lot of time to test this all out either."

Ahead of them was a huge bank of dark clouds, and Chia stared into it for a moment to frown. "Yeah, we're gonna stay away from that whole mess. I'm gonna take us a little lower. Hop up, okay?"

Twill shifted to get out of Chia's seat, but something parted the clouds before either of them could move, a shape larger than they could fathom.

"What was _that?"_ asked Twill, gaping as the shape disappeared again, parting the clouds that obscured it.

"Move, move!" urged Chia, hopping up and down as Twill scrambled to comply.

Chia only waited until they were on their feet before shoving them away from the controls with a mumbled apology.

Below them was open sea, but they had to be nearing the land. Trouble was, as the dark shape in the clouds appeared again, all of the sensors went nuts at once. And Chia had figured out what the shape was.

"It's like a giant flipper," she said, watching it breach the cover of the clouds again. "Is that Sin?"

She clapped her hands on her cheeks and put on a serious face, focusing herself. Taking control of the ship, she pulled the wheel as hard as she could without putting their lives in danger as they descended.

Twill turned away, towards the cabin's entrance, about to try and get a better look at the creature, before Chia shouted incoherently not to touch the door. "If you go out, you could get swept overboard. Don't you dare open that door."

Twill complied, but pointed outside in the direction of the giant creature. "Look! Chia, it's not doing anything. I don't even think it knows we're here."

Chia steadied the ship once they were clear of Sin's path, turning her head to look.

"I'm not taking my chances with that just because it looks calm," she said, frowning.

Twill nodded in agreement. "You should definitely avoid it, but what must this mean? Mobius made his intentions pretty clear. Why isn't it attacking?"

"How should I know?" she said, making a face. "Either way, we should call Tana back and get out of here."

"We found what we were looking for," they said, folding their arms thoughtfully. "It looks like the Ronso's claims are the only reliable sightings right now."

Chia rolled her eyes. "Great. Now if only we could get anyone to take us seriously."

Twill rested their hand on the back of Chia's chair while attempting to reach Tana again. The line seemed to be busy, with no answer from the other.

"She's probably still on the line with Merris," they said, giving up their attempt for the time being.

They didn't mind not getting attention for their efforts, if things could stay as relatively peaceful as they were. If things stayed normal, no one else should ever have to worry about Sin at all.

* * *

Merris had kept fairly busy, for the month of so after being forcibly removed from Zanarkand. When he had a lot on his mind, he needed to find _something_ to occupy his time.

At first, he'd set out on foot from Djose, beginning a new trek across Spira. He picked up bounties of unusual fiends, using that as an opportunity to hone his skills. It helped to clear his head, as long as it was enough of a distraction.

That was how it started, but it wasn't long before he started to miss the company of other people. Without even realizing it, he found himself gravitating towards Luca again.

It was depressing, going from traveling with a small group to being alone again. Especially after losing one of his traveling companions. With only the odd stay at an inn or travel agency, he didn't have anywhere to consistently rest his head. And when he did, he was plagued by the same strange dreams as the rest of Spira, reminding him of what had happened.

He had ignored the dreams when they'd first begun. It wasn't common for him to remember his dreams, until then, so when the news came out that it wasn't just him, then he started paying more attention. Even afterwards, he didn't usually see anything worth remembering. Just the city, which he was certain was Zanarkand, as there was no other city in Spira like it, Wren, always asleep, and Mobius.

Both of them, Wren and Mobius, appeared differently from how he remembered. Not just in appearance, but there was a certain atmosphere around them that made them feel far away and out of focus. They seemed… weary. What he remembered of Wren's appearance was that she was asleep, no matter where he found her, and Mobius' serene aura had been interrupted by his tireless work in the library. It made Merris feel tired, watching him, but always going unseen.

Frankly, he was tired of sleeping under the stars, so as soon as he was back in Luca, he searched out Wren's home. It felt a little creepy, but he needed a place to stay, and he knew her old home would be empty. Working backwards from her workplace at the stadium, it wasn't difficult to find.

It was strange that somehow, it still looked lived in.

There were even some dishes still left out that had been cleaned, but never put away, like at any minute Wren would come home from work. Merris was determined to leave the place in better shape than when he found it, and even went as far as to tend to the small altar dedicated to her deceased mother. He was careful not to disturb it too much, leaving the sphere in the altar's center alone past his initial dusting of the display.

It was interesting to see this space that had been so uniquely hers, but with the dreams that still bothered him even here, he had to once again find some kind of distraction.

The blitzball stadium was always hiring. Ever since the security had been assigned to the public instead of the now defunct Crusaders, there would always be an open position - people didn't tend to stay long in a port town.

This combination of things made the job a perfect fit for Merris. The job was boring and mostly amounted to him giving directions to lost tourists, but since the blitz season was starting up soon, there were a lot of people coming into town. Practices had started for the Goers, so of course they needed security.

It _was_ a good distraction, but it was too easy to fall into a routine of practicing his skills before work, and then going to bed the second he got home. It wasn't like he was very eager to sleep, but he was ready for the day to end.

The task ahead of all of them was a daunting one. It was far easier not to think of what circumstances had led to their new goal of defeating Sin. Just like before Yuna's Calm, blitzball was an excellent distraction.

That was the pattern for a few weeks after arriving in Luca, until nearly a month had passed without him hardly even noticing.

Merris had been one of two on duty when he was approached by the captain of the Goers, Bickson. It was rumored that this season was likely to be his last with the team. He'd been there for so long that Merris couldn't judge if the rumors were true or not.

"Hey, man," came Bickson's greeting. He wasn't known as a man who lacked confidence in any capacity, but Merris had never really spoken to any of the blitzers, and it was his tone that tipped him off to the impending request.

"What's going on?" asked Piet, the other guard who was posted beside Merris at the arena's doors.

Bickson nodded his head upwards at Merris briefly. "I need to borrow your buddy for a little while. Think you can manage without him?"

Merris wouldn't say he was very good friends with Piet, but he wouldn't complain too much about being taken away from his post. "Why me?"

Bickson raised an eyebrow at his obviously feigned reluctance. "Our goalie hurt his ankle, so now he can't swim or really even get it wet, if he can help it. He'll be fine by the time the season starts, but we need everyone else on the field during practice, so we really just need someone who can stand in front of the goal."

The player beside him, Balgerda, spoke up. "A couple of us saw you playing with a practice ball the other day when you were off duty."

Merris had to think for a moment. Not a week earlier, he had gone after a ball thrown by a couple of tourist kids, but he didn't think that was the best demonstration of his skills inside the sphere pool.

Not that he was complaining, of course.

Piet simply shrugged. "There's really not a lot going on out here. If you wanna help 'em out, I'll be alright by myself. I'll cover for you."

Merris rolled his shoulders with a small nod. "Yeah, okay. You just need me to stand in front of the goal, right?"

Bickson gave a relieved grin when he accepted. "Pretty much. We've got some extra gear you can borrow too."

Piet took over both posts as Merris followed the Goers to their locker room.

To accommodate blitzers without gills (all of them), each game always consisted of two five minute rounds, with a half time in between, for the health and safety of the players. It turns out that a practice match was very much the same, but it didn't end after only two rounds. They could go for hours as long as they only played in increments of five minutes.

Merris learned quickly that they were pro blitzers for a reason. None of the Goers seemed as worn out as he felt by the end of the practice. They hadn't pulled any punches either, so it had been all he could do to keep up with them.

All in all, he didn't think he'd done too bad for an amateur. If he had more experience playing with a real team like the Goers, he probably could have kept up with them without a problem.

Of course, he had no idea how he would stack up against the Aurochs, who had gone from dead last to essentially the Goers' rivals only a few years earlier, when the other blitzball player among High Summoner Yuna's guardians had joined the team officially. That wasn't a matchup he envied at all, but he wouldn't want to go against _any_ of the other teams without practice

The adrenaline and euphoria from the match managed not to wear off too early before practice was over, even though he was exhausted by that point.

They team thanked Merris for his assistance, and Piet for loaning him out. They ribbed just a little about recruiting him, just enough that Merris wondered if he really could play with a team after all. Maybe they would consider him for the next season, if he tried out.

Piet only humored him, but he was obviously joking with him once their shift was over. Even with the playful teasing, he was more than glad just to have gotten to play.

It was once he was back in Wren's empty home that his mood came crashing back down, and reality set back in.

This home was borrowed from an owner who would likely never return to it. He felt a little guilty for staying there, even though he had put some of his own funds towards keeping it in her name, and was taking care of it in her stead. More than that, he felt that he had slipped. They had confirmation from a Ronso scout that Sin really was out there in the world, and he was playing blitzball. It wasn't like he hadn't made any progress, and not much time had passed in truth, but Sin's return brought more than a little added pressure to improve.

He sat down unsteadily by the cooking fire in the middle of the room, poking at the slowly roasting piece of meat that he'd purchased on his way home. He'd helped himself to Wren's spice cabinet, so the whole room was filled with a hearty aroma already.

He concluded that the group shouldn't be so split up. Twill and Chia were together for the time being, playing the most frustrating game of messenger Merris had heard of in a long time. They had set out to look into various rumors of Sin sightings, but so far had turned up nothing. He knew both of them were practicing with their fair share of fiends as well.

It was more than he'd done, even if it was only by a little. He'd just been getting by, with his own training pushed over to the side. Tana's situation couldn't be helped, he knew she couldn't get away from her job so easily - but _he_ could do something. He could, at the very least, rejoin the two on the airship.

While he was lost in thought, the smell of something burning hit his nostrils, causing him to recoil hard enough to come back to what he was doing at present.

He cursed quietly as he salvaged the smoking mound of meat and overly aromatic spices. It wasn't too badly burned, but it would be a little tough, and he immediately propped open a couple of windows to give himself more room to breathe.

Waving the smoke away, he went to the low dining table with his meal, and pulled the CommSphere on its surface closer to himself. He first tried to reach the _Hyacinth_ , his conscience getting the better of him while he felt useless in a tourist town, but there was no answer. This wasn't unusual, as any area with dense clouds or a high concentration of pyreflies could prevent their signals from connecting, so he moved onto Tana.

Before he could touch anything, the staticy signal of the sphere let out a shrill, but cheerful little jingle. She had beaten him to it.

He pressed the button on the side to let the signal through, and Tana's face appeared on the projection while he tucked into his dinner.

He waved at her, his mouth full but still trying to smile through it.

"-a bad time?" asked Tana, her connection cutting in.

Merris shook his head as he swallowed, but hoped that the rough image quality was enough to obscure the lingering fog of smoke in the room.

"I've got time. What are you up to?" he asked, grinning.

Tana smiled tiredly, recounting to him the events of her conversation with Eden. From the difficulties she'd had preventing them from encouraging a new wave of summoners, to her surrender upon hearing his story.

He picked at his food while she went through her story again.

"I've already told Twill and Chia, but they started losing signal, so I'm going to check in on them a little later," she hummed, twisting one of her braids.

"I'm thinking of joining up with them again soon," he said.

"You're not tired of Luca already, are you?"

He snorted just a little. "It's fine. If that were all, I'd probably come back home to Djose. No, I just don't feel like I'm being very useful. You know I've been staying in Wren's old place? I've been taking care of it, but it just doesn't feel right."

Tana leaned against her palm. "You just feel guilty?"

He shrugged just a little. "I think she wouldn't mind me staying here, but… I kinda keep wondering if she's really gone."

Her expression fell when he said that. Death was never an easy subject. Suggesting that the dead weren't entirely at rest was another matter. "You think she became a fiend? Wren had a lot going on, but I don't think she was restless enough to become a fiend, and if she had become Unsent, I think we would have found her by now."

Merris grimaced. "Actually, I didn't even think about that. It's just - and I know this sounds stupid - but don't you think those dreams have something to do with this whole thing?"

Tana scoffed. "It would be way weirder if the dreams were completely unrelated."

Merris pressed his lips together uncertainly. "Yeah, but have you ever noticed any patterns or similarities in the dreams? Like how Wren is always asleep, no matter where she is?"

"I mean… I guess it's true to life. But yeah, since I started writing down what I see in them, I've noticed a few things like that."

Merris nodded. "I probably wouldn't notice there was anything different between each dream, except that the two of them kinda seem to move around. Mobius isn't always in the same part of the library, and Wren always looks like she just took a nap wherever she fell."

"So what are you thinking?"

He drummed his fingers absently. "I don't really remember much of the dreams very well, but it usually feels less like a dream and more like I'm spying on someone."

"I know what you mean - they don't seem to see me, and I've tried calling out to them, but they probably can't hear either," said Tana. "It's kind of scary, being ignored like that."

Merris would admit he didn't remember anything like that, but it didn't surprise him. He'd never gotten the attention of either figment, he was sure.

"I was kind of just thinking… doesn't the dream feel really realistic? It feels like how I'm talking to you right now, like I'm watching a live recording on a sphere, right in front of my eyes."

Tana sat up, an incredulous look on her face. "So wait, you think what's happening in the dream is really happening somewhere out there?"

Merris made an innocent, skeptical look as he stared back at her. "I don't know how that could be possible. I'm just telling you what I've seen."

"I mean, you know… The way we use spheres is directly based off of how pyreflies change shape to reflect memories in nature, like in the Farplane," said Tana, trying to be helpful even though she was also at a loss.

He shrugged. "Yeah, that's true. I guess we've even found naturally occurring video spheres, as rare as that is. I don't know anything about the Farplane, but maybe it is a memory, somehow. But I couldn't tell you whose memory it could be - no place like that city exists in Spira, and I'm sure Mobius and Wren have never coexisted in the same ghost town like that before."

"But you think there might be a chance that Wren is still alive?" she asked, the tiniest bit hopefully, as though looking for confirmation.

"I couldn't say that for sure," admitted Merris, frowning. "As much as it doesn't feel real, I really don't know what happened."

A light flashed across Tana's eyes briefly. "I don't know what's going on with the dreams, but I can find out once and for all whether she's alive or not." A new energy had entered her voice.

"Huh?"

"I'll go to the Farplane entrance in Guadosalam," she said, clasping her hands together. "If she's alive, she wouldn't appear if she's beckoned right?"

Merris tried not to look doubtful. The image that appeared in the popular tourist attraction was just a memory, but… it did only tend to conjure images of the dead. Maybe there was a chance, but apart from that.

"You don't have to do that- if you're really curious, I'll go there myself when I get back to Twill and Chia," he winced.

He knew she was still terrified of being isolated there again. There was no reason for her to torture herself like that.

She shook her head. "It's not even a day away from here on foot. I can make the trip. It'll be a good excuse to look for a replacement for when we go after Sin."

He couldn't say he liked that response either. She probably would be alright going to the Farplane alone. Mishaps had become uncommon, since the Guado had returned to tend to its entrance. Her aptitude depended solely on her, now.

Worse, he knew she was planning for the possibility that she wouldn't come back from Sin. It was more than a possibility, if they weren't careful.

"Be careful, if you're serious about going," he said, frowning.

She smiled softly, hiding how much his concern touched her. "Hey, I'll be alright. And if _you're_ serious about getting back on the ship, you'd better give Chia a call, if their signal is back up."

He snorted, waving his hand even though he was still worried. "Yeah, I tried earlier, but they didn't answer. I'd better give it another shot before I go to bed, I guess."

As they said goodbye, he reinforced his well-wishes to her. He knew things would be alright for now, but that didn't quell the anxious feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was just going to have to trust her.

He scarfed down the last of his dinner as he called up the _Hyacinth_ again.

This time, when the image flickered on, there was an answer.

Chia, in the captain's seat, and Twill, behind her, both looked bewildered, but somehow triumphant.

Chia grinned at him. "You'll never guess what we just ran into without getting a scratch on us."


	34. As They Say

An unusual commotion was heard throughout the cavernous halls that were Djose's streets.

By the sound of the excited chatter outside her door, it sounded like someone important had come to visit. People were starting to gather at the town's entrance, and Tana found herself trudging along behind them.

A safe distance from the temple, there was the outline of the sails of the Hyacinth.

Tana smiled warmly and began nudging her way through the crowd with a renewed eagerness replacing her passive curiosity. She had waited to see her friends long enough that she found her chest aching to see them.

The figures standing in the center of the small crowd, however, were not Twill or Chia, or even her brother. Twill was coming down the gangplank behind them. But who had the ship brought along with them?

"Lady Yuna!" cried out one of the women walking nearby, switching from a slow walk to a brisk jog.

Tana parted through the crowd and did indeed recognize Yuna, who was chattering awkwardly with the townspeople. Beside her was a young blonde man that Tana knew only through her brother's interest in blitzball.

Yuna lifted her head when Tana approached. She then bowed her head deeply as a sign of respect and greeting. "Miss Tana!"

Tana tried not to avert her eyes despite how embarrassed at having the High Summoner, of all people, bow to her. And in front of so many obvious fans, no less. "Hey, just call me Tana. I promise, my title sounds more important than the job really is. What's brought you to Djose?"

Yuna stood up again, gesturing to Tidus, who seemed distracted by the crowd. "This is Tidus, one of my beloved guardians, and my fiance. We came to talk about matters of great importance, but I thought it would be better if your whole group to hear what we have to say."

Tana glanced around the group, then up at Twill, who waved back at her with a faint smile. She probably meant to discuss the Sin situation with them. Normally, since they had no luck convincing half of Spira that Sin could even exist, that would be a welcome thing, for the high summoner to admit there was a problem. But Tana knew things that should not have been heard by the public. Talking privately would be best.

"Yeah, we probably have a lot to talk about," she murmured. "I can get you set up in our town's hotel, and we can talk there, or you can rest for awhile first. It's up to you."

Chia, followed by Merris, descended from the ship, and Twill gestured to let them pass as they started to join the group standing in the small crowd's center. Tana greeted Merris with a warm side hug.

Tidus nodded to Yuna. "It's kinda short notice, but we should probably get right into it."

The crowd thinned only a little as they walked, but had completely dispersed by the time she got to the building that formerly belonged to Mobius.

"The group here is a pretty religious bunch," said Tana, somewhat apologetically, once the couple, and the crew from the ship were checked in. "They're all really nice people, but they're a little excitable."

Yuna laughed, shaking her head. "It's a little overwhelming, but this happens a lot in towns that have a temple, so I'm almost used to it by now. I still don't really know what to say to them, though."

The room they had settled in to talk was a common room that surrounded what had previously been used as guest bedrooms. There were two sofas, a table in the middle, and a fireplace, against the wall near the door.

A young woman from the lobby brought a tray of teas and hot water to them, and Tana accepted it at the door, then requested that they not be disturbed while the group talked things over.

"I should have come sooner," said Yuna. "but for the last month and a half, we've been really busy in Besaid, planning for what we'll do if Sin really does attack. The rainy season in the islands is nothing compared to the devastation that Kilika, and Besaid, many years earlier, had seen in more recent history."

Tidus shook his head at her. "Besaid needed you. Besides, it's my fault for not speaking up sooner. I just didn't figure out how widespread these dreams were. I still dream about home all the time, so when they started getting a little weird, I still didn't notice."

Yuna hummed in anxious agreement, then looked to Tana. "You've probably already guessed, but we need to talk about what's been going on with Sin, and these dreams."

Tana placed the tray on the thin rectangular table, then started passing the warm drinks around. "From what I've heard, not many people started taking Sin seriously until the Ronso's elder sent a message across Spira, even though Twill and Chia warned them right after everything went south. I'm just glad someone took our warnings seriously at all."

"I told you on the ship, but Sin is much more docile than I thought," said Twill. "There haven't been any sightings we've been able to confirm, except the Ronso's, who more or less said that it's been floating in the sky aimlessly since it first appeared."

"Kimahri has been a very good friend to me, since I was just a little girl. I would never take news like this lightly, but he told me as much himself. Hearing what's been happening lately is strange… but no stranger than these dreams," said Yuna, sighing.

 _"That's_ why I wanted to talk," said Tidus. He took a sip of the tea, then set the cup back on the table politely. He leaned closer to the center of the group, as if afraid of being overheard. "We don't have a whole lot of secrets from the rest of Spira anymore, since Bevelle volunteered a lot of secrets themselves once everyone in charge vanished. Not that it's important, but not a lot of people know much about me besides my blitz statistics."

At this, everyone but Yuna looked a little skeptical. What was he on about?

"I'm not originally _from_ Spira," he said, shrugging just a little. It was obvious he wasn't used to telling the story. He spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. "I know, that probably sounds crazy, but that's part of why I never tell anyone. These dreams that everyone's been having - the city they all take place in is a version of Spira that hasn't existed in over a thousand years. It's Zanarkand, back when it was still alive - before it was destroyed by the war."

"Back then, the summoners of old sacrificed their lives to preserve the memory of that glorious city," said a new voice - one who hadn't been invited, and nor had the door opened since it had been shut by Tana. "It lived on, in the form of a dream shared by all of those who became a part of the vast Fayth scar of Mt. Gagazet, until the time when the Fayth were finally allowed to rest. Until recently, that is."

Everyone's attention turned to the unlit fireplace, where a small green figure now stood. It didn't quite click for Tana at first, as she studied the old man, but he did look familiar.

"Maechen!" gasped Yuna, jumping to her feet.

Recognition filled the eyes of Tidus as well, but he remained seated. "You've got to get some new tricks, Gramps. You're ruining my story!"

"The old man from the Thunderplains," said Merris, nodding decisively.

Maechen chuckled pleasantly, both at Tidus' joking accusation and the acknowledgement of Merris as Yuna took her seat again. "I could not help but interject. Apologies, but perhaps I can aid you with my own perspective. Please, continue."

"My point is, I'm from a version of Zanarkand that doesn't exist in this world anymore," said Tidus. "The one I'm from was a dream too. I think this Zanarkand and my Zanarkand might be kind of the same thing."

The room went silent. Tana offered a cup to Maechen as well, which he accepted with a grateful murmur.

Yuna nodded in confirmation. "I can't say I've ever seen this Zanarkand with my own eyes, until these dreams started, but I believe every word wholeheartedly. I've seen enough to believe that it was real."

Tana wanted to believe it too. It sounded like something Wren would love to hear about, if she were there.

"I'll bite," she said after a moment. "I kinda figured the city might be Zanarkand, or what it used to be, anyway. That's what Wren said she used to see in her dreams. But what does it mean, if these dreams are the same as… this other Zanarkand you came from?"

Tidus exhaled, puffing his cheeks out while he thought. "I don't really know how to say this, but I think everything we see in the dreams is really happening… somewhere."

This suggestion was even harder to swallow; somehow it was worse to confront the idea that Wren really was trapped there, wherever she was.

Yuna spoke again, a frown creasing her brows. "I recently saw something else, in my dream… I decided to try watching them. Wren is always asleep, but Mobius spends his time in the library. If I could touch anything in the dream, instead of passing through it, I would love to stay and study for a while myself, but…"

Tidus cleared his throat when Yuna trailed off. "Tell them what happened."

She nodded. "Mobius actually spoke. I've never seen them together before, so there isn't anyone to talk _to,_ usually, and at first, I was afraid he was talking to me," she said, giving a nervous laugh. "He said… 'I can't keep this up much longer. I need to talk to her.'"

"Keep _what_ up?" huffed Chia, frowning as she thought about it.

"I have no idea," admitted Yuna, a solemn expression. "He was trying to focus on whatever it was he was reading, and I tried to read over his shoulder, but he almost seemed to sense that I was there when I tried to touch one of the nearby books. To be honest, I felt a little rattled, but then he stood up and walked to the opposite end of the library, where Wren was sleeping. He then shook her until she started to stir, and after that, the dream faded away."

"I've never seen Wren conscious during these dreams. It's obvious that she's just sleeping, though, because she moves around between dreams," said Twill, reluctantly.

"Thinking about it with the idea that what we see is real, though…" said Tana.

"When, you know… My old man was Sin - we confronted the man himself from the inside," said Tidus, swallowing. "Inside Sin, there was a city that looked a lot like Zanarkand, only it was destroyed, like the ground just opened up and swallowed half of it, and the other half of it was on fire."

"There must be some connection here, right?" asked Merris, frowning.

"There may just be," volunteered Maechen, setting his teacup back down on the table. "After all, in ages past, Sin was brought about to protect Zanarkand - your home, that is - by the most powerful of all summoners, Yu Yevon. Though this power should have dispersed and returned to the Farplane when Lady Yuna performed her grand sending over Bevelle, it seems to have found its way to Lord Mobius, and to our friend Wren, as well."

"That's because of the pyreflies, actually. Amalthea showed us her memories, and the exact moment a cluster from the sending split off and collided with him. He fell seriously ill at first, but that was just the beginning of it."

"I suppose that if a part of Yu Yevon could remain in this world, the rest would want to reunite with the missing piece," hummed the scholar. "But there's no doubting that this power is what allowed these visions to begin, even if the dream is but a shadow of its former glory. I myself am not susceptible to these dreams, but the accounts I have heard are all the same: an empty city, a young girl, and an infamous face. It is a shame that they cannot witness Zanarkand at its brightest- full of life, even in a dream."

Yuna's expression slowly fell as she listened to Maechen's speech. "The pyreflies from the sending I performed at Sin's defeat caused all of this? I should have been more careful. Even if Mobius hadn't chosen this path, no one should have been harmed. And the Calm I brought… I guess it wasn't eternal after all."

"Not so, Lady Yuna! You broke Spira's cycle, and the spiral of death truly did end with your pilgrimage," said Maechen, a twinkle in his eye as he spoke. "The fact that the cycle can begin anew is not a shortcoming on your part."

"If the pyreflies hadn't found their way to just about the worst person possible, it really would have been an Eternal Calm," said Tana, shaking her head. "Most people still won't believe that Sin is really back, so I doubt anyone would ever say it was for nothing."

"Still, even if it's not my fault, I can't just do nothing," she said, still looking skeptical. "Even if Sin stays where it is and never bothers anyone again, that's still two people who are suffering needlessly. I still feel responsible."

Maechen seemed to consider something, stroking his beard while he thought. "This Mobius - the former leader of the Yevon splinter group, Respira - is undeniably the one who brought Sin back into the world, correct?"

"Yes… but based on what I saw in Zanarkand, we believe he used Wren's Aeon to do it. Both Wren and Mobius have a strong enough bond with her to create something as deadly as Sin once was," said Twill, a guilty expression crossing their eyes. They sighed. "I can't say I saw what happened myself, since I was the one who allowed Mobius to pass, knowing I couldn't defeat him alone, but… I personally believe Wren was tricked into somehow assisting him."

"Then I do not need to tell you what you must already be piecing together," said Maechen, solemnly. "This place, where our young summoners are imprisoned, is also inside Sin, where they'll reside until they are freed."

"'Imprisoned,' huh?" snorted Chia, putting her empty teacup down with an audible clack. "One of them got himself into this on purpose."

The color drained from Yuna's face, but neither she nor Tidus looked particularly surprised by this conclusion. "That might be true, but it's no way to live. Inside Sin, after a thousand years of isolation, Yu Yevon had become little more than a husk, only capable of carrying out his will. I can't let that kind of fate befall either of them. No one deserves to wither away alone like that."

The possibility had never occurred to the four friends. Each of them wished equally to stop Wren's suffering, and though they weren't quite sold on Mobius, he couldn't be allowed to continue his new cycle.

"We'll take care of it," said Tana. "If you want to help, I won't stop you, but this is our mess to clean up, and Wren is our friend. We'll get her back."

Yuna sighed, obviously not satisfied to do nothing. "Please believe me when I say I trust all of you, but I feel too restless. I want to help."

"If you're going to help them, I'm going too," said Tidus. "The blitz season is just about to start, but I'd drop everything for this."

"All of us are still making preparations before we can take Sin on, but I don't think any of us will object to more hands," said Twill.

Yuna gave a soft smile.

"Like I said, any support is appreciated," said Tana. "But I've got a lot of work to do in town. We'll survive an attack, but I've got to make sure there's someone here to take over without me. I'm thinking of leaving Eden in charge."

Merris narrowed his eyes, his jaw set. "The Respira guy?"

"I've checked in with my mother," said Twill, rolling their eyes. "The worst of Guadosalam's troubles would be a flood, if Sin attacked. It doesn't rain often, since it's next to the Thunder Plains, but the root systems of the trees there are massive and surrounded by water, so flooding does happen from time to time. That much, they should be able to handle."

"As long as Sin stays away from any towns, we can wait, but we aren't the ones who are trapped up there," said Tidus. "I'm down to spar with any of you, if you need extra practice."

"We'll probably take you up on that," said Tana. "For now, just enjoy your stay, and… I guess we'll just have to keep doing what we were doing before."


	35. Show Me

Mobius rubbed his temples as he attempted to focus. He had no way of knowing how much time had passed since the two of them had arrived in this version of Zanarkand, his only way to measure it being in cycles of Wren's waking and sleeping. It hardly helped that when she was asleep, he felt as though his consciousness was being drained from him, his thoughts muddy and far away.

He couldn't shake the idea that there were hundreds of eyes watching him in these times, even in his unfocused haze. It was becoming unbearable, and the worst of it was that as much as Wren loathed him, he sincerely doubted that she was doing this to him on purpose.

"I can't keep this up much longer," he sighed loudly, pushing his chair away from the table where he was studying. The hairs of the back of his neck prickled, feeling those eyes on him even now. He stroked his fingers through his thick hair as he rose to his feet to temporarily alleviate his feelings of paranoia. "I need to talk to her."

With that, he stormed across the library. She wasn't as interested as he was in the contents of the shelves around him, but the arrangement she needed to find something else to occupy her time. He found her exactly where he'd left her, surrounded by a stack of books, but curled up on a cushioned bench, not one of the books opened. She was effectively entering a meditative state, not quite unconscious, but not quite present either.

He nudged her with one hand, his head feeling heavy and painful. As she slowly came to, falling out of the trance, clarity returned to his mind, and the many eyes he imagined seemed to be forcibly closed again.

"What do you want now?" she asked, her words almost a slur as she returned to the waking world.

"We need to talk about your sleeping habits," he said, standing over her. "I know you've been making an effort to keep your head and avoid costing us our sense of self, but this isn't a viable alternative."

Wren stared at him, her long robes falling around her as she slowly sat up. "What do you mean?"

Mobius sighed, turning his back to her as if debating sitting beside her on the bench, but instead he took a step away from her while he collected his thoughts. "Every time you 'sleep' like this, if it can be called that, it puts a great deal of pressure on myself to keep us afloat. You're pulling us under every time you surrender yourself to fate."

"I'm not 'surrendering,'" she mumbled, but she stood up behind him, a note of frustration straining her voice. "But what am I supposed to do? I'm trapped here, there's no life anywhere in this awful place. The only other person here is you."

She meant that she wasn't interested in relying on him for companionship. That didn't bother him in the slightest, but it made communicating his needs to her that much more difficult, if she wouldn't talk to him.

"Not quite," he said, after a moment. "I only discovered this recently, but if you're aching for conversation, I suppose… I have something I should show you."

He didn't mean to force her to sink or swim, but he had underestimated her need to socialize, and it was clear that she needed a distraction. He had made a lot of miscalculations lately, it seemed.

Glancing over his shoulder, then turning fully around to face her again, she was looking at him reproachfully, sizing up his posture. And she wasn't moving.

"No offense, but I don't really want to go anywhere with you," said Wren, moving at last, but passing him to look out the circular window behind him. "If it's that important, you can tell me what it is, and I'll decide for myself."

"I'm just trying to buy more time, Wren," he said, becoming exasperated. "I want to remember who I am for as long as I can - I don't want to fade away so quickly because of something that's out of my hands."

Wren turned her head slowly, a motion colder and more elegant than he would have believed she could muster before he had dragged her down with him. She was different from his initial impression of her. When he first met her in Kilika, he'd never dreamed introducing himself to her would have such dire consequences.

Then, she'd just been a girl from Luca, and it was her research that had piqued his interest. He invited her along in the temple's Cloister because he hoped that she would finish her project and shed a little light on some of the finer details of the path of a summoner through her movie sphere, as wretched a path as it might have been.

Now, she had somehow become his perfect equal; he had turned her into a veritable goddess. What did that make him? A monster, a messiah? His failure to take her seriously in life had caused this.

He should have considered her a threat from the moment she leapt in front of him, absorbing the power he sought for herself. Perhaps he could have recruited her. If he had consulted Eden on the matter, he had no doubt he could have won her over.

Of course, on her own, her magical abilities had been nothing special. The possibility of her becoming one of those he had entrusted to create a new generation of summoners was not a likely one.

Now both of them were without their magic. She was still Amalthea's summoner, and he was using his own to support Sin's existence. Without reaching an agreement, neither of them could do anything.

Perfect equals.

"What do you want to show me?" Wren asked again.

"...It's Amalthea," he said, focusing his attention back on her. "She's not quite herself, but she has a place here with us, even though that place is as a prisoner."

Her abrasive front dropped when he said that, and she suddenly looked like that little sphere recorder again, her eyes becoming wide with concern. "Show me."

There was desperation in her voice, though it was strained, as though she were trying to hide her urgency. He didn't know what her hurry was, since none of them were going anywhere. She had as much time as she needed.

Mobius nodded silently to her, then motioned for her to follow.

Though either of them had only to reach out to her to feel that Amalthea was there somewhere, alive, Mobius had only recently discovered her source.

Her source, what he was calling the place that held the essence of her very soul. She was despondent and hazy herself, but he couldn't say if it was due to her current bearings, or if she was fully aware and purposely ignoring his presence. Either way, she might provide some sense of purpose to Wren.

"Where is she, exactly?" asked Wren, following him into the streets of Zanarkand past. The glassy buildings seemed to tower over them as they walked into the moonlight. "I've explored the city a little bit, but I haven't seen anything else."

"The city itself is a sort of illusion, similar to the Aeons themselves. The expanse of what we perceive as being inside Sin is much larger than the city, so she isn't necessarily here, in the part that we're used to," he explained. "As I can tell, our reach extends beyond the city, with other trials one must face before they would be able to reach us. A security measure."

The streets were hardly dark, a fact that they were both used to by now. Even though the moon was full overhead, the lights that surrounded them from the streets and buildings made up most of the visible light that guided them. He was leading her to the sea, towards the docks with the brilliant pillars of glowing panels of light, and the boat houses that bobbed and swayed on the tides in opposing synchrony. The strings of lanterns that hung from the boats reflected off the water's surface, rosy pinks and greens like stained glass as they approached.

He hoped the skeptical look on her face didn't turn sour. He felt he didn't currently have the strength to persuade her, if she decided to be stubborn.

"There's probably a lot more out there I don't know about," she admitted, to his relief. She was curious, that was a very good sign that she was listening to him. "I haven't had the heart to test the limits of this place."

Mobius knew she was afraid. There was no sense in offering her comfort that she didn't want, but he would continue to view her presence as his greatest mistake. It felt like he should do something, but there didn't seem to be anything for him to do. There was no sense in her suffering, either, if she wasn't meant to be here. The conflicting thoughts made him tired.

When they reached the edge of the docks, illuminated by tall pillars of glowing panels, he did something that caused her to gasp, standing with her mouth agape: he stepped out onto the water.

Mobius stood on the water's surface, ripples pooling around his feet, then he turned back to her with his hand extended. Wren had seen him do this in Macalania before, on the frozen lake. Now he offered his hand to her, and it frightened her.

She shook her head at him quickly. "I don't know how to do that. I can't follow you."

He looked down into the water beneath his feet, then back to her. "The ability to stand on water isn't… commonly taught to summoners, since it's quite difficult to maintain your focus. I'm not channeling pyreflies to keep my balance right now."

At his answer, she took a step forward, looking into the water as well. "Then… what are you standing on?"

"I don't really know, but as I said, this city isn't entirely real, and certainly not what it seems. The water is as solid as the dock you stand on," he said, as if he were wondering the answer himself. "Try it - it's the only way to reach her, but there's no danger here for us."

He offered his hand again.

Wren ignored his hand, instead crouching to climb down from the dock. She had to adjust her lengthy robes in order to swing her legs over the edge, then slowly she tested the water with her tippy toes, to find that he was right after all. As she lowered herself, the water didn't give way, tickling her skin like a leaf broaching the fine film of the sea's surface.

"Did you think I meant to drown you?" he asked, as if that were difficult to believe.

"It's not like you didn't almost succeed once," she said, even though she knew it was unlikely that he meant to kill her, given the circumstances.

He didn't reply to that, instead watching as she regained her footing.

He pointed out into the horizon, where it seemed like the world would end. "If you walk just past where you can see, there's a path that will take you straight to her, if that's where you want to go."

She looked where he pointed, but was still uncertain. She wondered what things had come to, if she was trapped inside a massive aeon, but found walking on water hard to process.

Really, she just didn't trust him.

Despite that, she allowed him to lead her past the veil. As they crossed it, the path around them was no longer the horizon, but she couldn't quite see anything in her surroundings, as if it was foggy and inbetween. The ground beneath her was still watery, but nothing around her felt very real. The sky and the ocean seemed to have become one, and she could still hear the sound of running water as they crossed the path that seemed to glow faintly under their feet, as if leading them to their destination.

As quickly as they had entered the aetherial passage, it was gone when they reached the other side.

Now they stood in front of a huge stone archway. The eerie mist that reminded Wren of the Farplane ended abruptly at the arch's threshold.

She moved closer to it, and Mobius followed her halfway up the steps to the archway, before stopping completely. She stopped walking when she no longer heard his footsteps, but not before glimpsing inside. Inside there was a stone path, and flowering grasses and bushes arranged in a huge circle around a tiered pavilion, where a small figure sat alone.

Mobius stayed where he stood on the steps, and motioned Wren to go ahead. "The way back is exactly the same: just focus on returning to the city and you'll find the path again. Or you may stay here, if you wish, but there she is. Good luck."

It hardly surprised Wren that he didn't intend to stay. She doubted he had anything better to be doing, but he must have been fully aware of how much Amalthea hated him.

Mobius left.

Wren was hesitant to enter the garden herself. She didn't trust Mobius as far as she could throw him, but he had said that she wasn't entirely herself. There was a time when he had, presumably, known more about Amalthea than anyone else, but his assessment could mean a lot of things. Perhaps she only seemed unusual to him because she treated him the way he had betrayed her. And besides, she would be surprised if Amalthea wasn't at least a little angry with her too, not that she would blame her.

She took a deep breath, then stepped onto the hot stones leading into the garden's center.

The sun was a little more harsh than Wren liked, but the fact that there was a sun at all was more surprising. Even though she had been assured it was all an illusion, it felt real to her.

As she crossed the path leading from the arch, across the deep recesses where the thick foliage grew, she recognized the flowers that grew along the edge of the blue stone of the pavilion to be hyacinths. She lingered in the doorway of the pavilion, poking her head around the support beam to see the Fayth herself.

Amalthea, the young girl, not the Aeon, was seated on a stone bench that curved around the inside, parting only for the two doors on either side of the structure. She seemed almost unconscious, like she were simply napping in Bevelle's gardens. Wren could feel that this really was her - her Aeon may have been twisted and corrupted by Sin, but this was where she truly resided.

"Amalthea?" she asked, finally setting one foot inside the pavilion, then the other.

How in the world did Mobius happen upon this place? He had probably wandered past the mist on his own, expecting nothing.

At hearing her name spoken, Amalthea lifted her head. Her expression was like she was in a fog, barely focusing as Wren tentatively took a seat across from her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, a little too slowly.

"I came to visit you," said Wren, hesitant to tell her how she had arrived. "Obviously, things aren't going well right now… Which is probably an understatement."

"'Probably…'" snorted Amalthea. "You're a lousy summoner."

Wren sighed. "I know. I can't apologize enough for this, I know. I'm going to fix this somehow."

"How?" she asked, growing slightly more lucid. She cleared her throat, speaking with just a little more ease. "You're trapped here too."

"I am, and… I can't do anything to help anyone immediately," said Wren, after a moment. "Mobius is the one keeping you here… Until he gives up, I have to fight his will almost constantly."

"So you're keeping each other prisoner too," she mumbled. "Maybe I'm not the only monster here."

"You're not a monster, Amalthea."

"Oh, but I am," she purred, her eyes flashing as the words fell out. "When children wake up crying in the night, they'll complain of nightmares of the terror that rules the seas and skies. I know what I am."

"You were forced into this, just like everyone else," said Wren, shaking her head. "This whole time, what have you done, and who have you hurt, under your will or anyone else's?"

"The fact that no one has been hurt doesn't matter," said Amalthea, scowling. "You couldn't stop Mobius, and now the worst case scenario is a reality. Eventually, none of us will be ourselves anymore. Nothing will stop Sin from devouring Spira then."

Wren didn't know if she could argue with that. "I didn't want this to happen."

"No, you didn't."

A sharp sigh. Wren couldn't identify if she had been the one who sighed, or Amalthea.

Neither of them spoke for a few moments, at first staring at each other until Wren couldn't bear to make eye contact anymore. She wouldn't try to convince Amalthea of anything, now that the damage had been done.

"I have to ask you to hold on a little longer," she said, not persuasion, but a promise. "You don't have to believe me, but I'm going to get you out of here."

"Take your time," muttered Amalthea, sarcastically.

"I wish I could move things along faster, but Mobius is the only one who can decide this," said Wren. "All I can do is stop him from commanding you."

Amalthea rose to her feet, going to the railing to look at the garden. "He tried to talk to me once already. It was all small talk, but we're well past that already. When I get upset… things start to get dicey outside, so keep him away from me, if you can."

"I'll try," she said, though she doubted she would have to.

"And I know I didn't exactly give you a warm welcome, but… Come talk to me once in a while. It doesn't matter about what," said Amalthea, frowning. "Staying in here alone takes a lot of focus, or I get stuck in my own head. Things… sort of start to get kind of foggy."

Wren looked at her with worry. "Do you think you can make it?"

Amalthea pinched a piece of her mother's scarf, rubbing it between two of her fingers tenderly, clearly a well practiced habit. "For now. I don't know how long. If your friends ever plan on bringing help, they'd better do it soon, or they'll likely have a real monster on their hands."

"Don't say that," said Wren, standing up beside her. "They'll be here. And I'll come back to see you. I'll try to bring some books or something with me - we'll find something to talk about."

Amalthea nodded. "I can't exactly leave here on my own, so anything is better than nothing. I'll try to believe you."

Wren didn't want to admit that she was having a hard time believing herself too, but she knew her friends weren't going to give up. If she could hold on until help arrived, she might be able to put an end to things herself.

"Do you… like reading, Amalthea?" she asked, already making a mental list to distract herself.

Amalthea winced slightly at the question. "Not… really. At least, I didn't used to really have time for it, anyway. Without anything else to do out here, I wouldn't really complain."

"What uh… sorts of things do you like to read?" asked Wren.

"Nothing too serious," she admitted. "I've got a lot to think about, so if you want to bring reading material… Honestly? I'd love to read a sappy romance. It's not really my thing, but it's the farthest thing from what I'm going through right now."

Wren laughed softly at that. She said it wasn't for her, but somehow that wasn't the impression she had gotten of Amalthea from her memories, or from talking to her. "I'll see what I can find. Mobius takes up the entire reference section, so you won't have to worry about me bringing you anything too familiar, at least."

Amalthea's expression lightened when Wren laughed, as if embarrassed, but not at all upset. "Sure. We'll see."

They talked for a while longer. Small talk, even though Amalthea said she hated it, but the illusory sun was just starting to dim by the time they stopped. Amalthea's speech was less strained, her response time faster. Wren was sure she was doing more good than harm, just by distracting her.

It made her feel a little better about leaving, knowing she would have something to come back to.

Maybe both of them could be a little less lonely.


End file.
